The Cambridge Introduction to Performance Theory (Hardcover)

Simon Shepherd

ISBN 10: 1107039320 / ISBN 13: 9781107039322

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016

About this Item

Hardcover. What does 'performance theory' really mean and why has it become so important across such a large number of disciplines, from art history to religious studies and architecture to geography? In this introduction Simon Shepherd explains the origins of performance theory, defines the terms and practices within the field and provides new insights into performance's wide range of definitions and uses. Offering an overview of the key figures, their theories and their impact, Shepherd provides a fresh approach to figures including Erving Goffman and Richard Schechner and ideas such as radical art practice, performance studies, radical scenarism and performativity. Essential reading for students, scholars and enthusiasts, this engaging account travels from universities into the streets and back again to examine performance in the context of political activists and teachers, countercultural experiments and feminist challenges, and ceremonies and demonstrations. This introduction provides a fresh approach to the meaning and origins of performance theory for students, scholars and enthusiasts. Defining the key figures and terms within the field, Simon Shepherd ranges across theories and practices, from folklore studies to performativity to protests against road building. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781107039322

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Cambridge Introduction to Performance Theory (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107039320
• ISBN 13: 9781107039322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

What does 'performance theory' really mean and why has it become so important across such a large number of disciplines, from art history to religious studies and architecture to geography? In this introduction Simon Shepherd explains the origins of performance theory, defines the terms and practices within the field and provides new insights into performance's wide range of definitions and uses. Offering an overview of the key figures, their theories and their impact, Shepherd provides a fresh approach to figures including Erving Goffman and Richard Schechner and ideas such as radical art practice, performance studies, radical scenarism and performativity. Essential reading for students, scholars and enthusiasts, this engaging account travels from universities into the streets and back again to examine performance in the context of political activists and teachers, countercultural experiments and feminist challenges, and ceremonies and demonstrations.

About the Author

Simon Shepherd is Professor Emeritus of Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. He has written on performance, theatre and culture for over thirty years and his books include Direction (2012), The Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Theatre (Cambridge, 2010), Drama/Theatre/Performance (with Mick Wallis, 2004), Studying Plays (with Mick Wallis, 1998) and English Drama: A Cultural History (with Peter Womack, 1996).