This collection of specially-commissioned, accessible, essays explores that element of performance theory known as theatricality. Six case studies, each written by a specialist in the field, use historically specific circumstances to illustrate how and why the concept of theatricality was and is used. Topics discussed include early use of the term; employment of 'theatricality' by a number of other disciplines to describe events; non-Western interpretation of theatricality; and its use when discussing and analyzing political and cultural events and philosophies. The book provides a first-step guide for those discovering the complex yet rewarding world of performance theory.
Acknowledgements; Notes on contributors; List of illustrations; 1. Theatricality: an introduction Thomas Postlewait and Tracy C. Davis; 2. Performing miracles: the mysterious mimesis of Valenciennes (1547) Jody Enders; 3. Theatricality in classical Chinese drama Haiping Yan; 4. Theatricality and antitheatricality in Renaissance London Thomas Postlewait; 5. Theatricality and civil society Tracy C. Davis; 6. Defining political performance with Foucault and Habermas: strategic and communicative action Jon Erickson; 7. Theatricality's proper objects: genealogies of performance and gender theory Shannon Jackson; Works cited; Index.
