Theatres of Contagion
Transmitting Early Modern to Contemporary Performance
Published on 25. March 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
232 pages
978-1-350-21551-1 (ISBN)
Description
To what extent is theatre a contagious practice, capable of undoing and enlivening people and cultures? Theatres of Contagion responds to some of the anxieties of our current political and cultural climate by exploring theatre's status as a contagious cultural force, questioning its role in the spread or control of medical, psychological and emotional conditions and phenomena. Observing a diverse range of practices from the early modern to contemporary period, the volume considers how this contagion is understood to happen and operate, its real and imagined effects, and how these have been a source of pleasure and fear for theatre makers, audiences and authorities. Drawing on perspectives from medicine, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, law and affect theory, essays investigate some of the ways in which theatre can be viewed as a powerful agent of containment and transmission.
Among the works analysed include a musical adaptation and an intercultural variation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; a contemporary queer take on Hamlet; Grand- Guignol and theatres of horror; the writings and influence of Artaud; immersive theatre and the work of Punchdrunk, and computer gaming and smartphone apps
Among the works analysed include a musical adaptation and an intercultural variation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; a contemporary queer take on Hamlet; Grand- Guignol and theatres of horror; the writings and influence of Artaud; immersive theatre and the work of Punchdrunk, and computer gaming and smartphone apps
Reviews / Votes
Theatres of Contagion is a rich and wide-ranging collection of essays that offers new and engaging perspectives on theatre's multiple relationships with contagion. The volume traverses historical periods from the early modern to the contemporary, a diverse range of genres and practices, on and off-stage, and draws on an array of disciplines. This expansive design, in tandem with individual authors' detailed analyses of specific practices and histories, results in a collection that nuances understandings of how theatre has conceived contagion's operation, its effects and affects, and vital entanglements in culture and socio-political structures. -- Catherine Silverstone, Queen Mary University of London, UKMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
7 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-21551-1 (9781350215511)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2019
1st Edition
Methuen Drama
€36.49
Available for download
E-Book
09/2019
1st Edition
Methuen Drama
€36.49
Available for download
Person
Fintan Walsh is Reader in Theatre and Performance in the Department of English and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London, UK, and Co-Director of Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre. His books include Queer Performance and Contemporary Ireland: Dissent and Disorientation (2016), Theatre & Therapy (2013), and Male Trouble: Masculinity and the Performance of Crisis (2010). He is Senior Editor of Theatre Research International.
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Contagious Performance: Between Illness and Ambience Fintan Walsh, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Part One: Infectious Bodies and Behaviours
2. Viral Hamlet: History, Memory, Kinship Fintan Walsh
3. 'A plague o' both your houses': Auditory Contagion and Affective Frequencies in Musical and Intercultural Theatres Marcus Cheng Chye Tan, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
4. 'Look not upon me, for thine eyes are wounding': Infectious Sights in Shakespeare's Theatre of Contagion Shani Bans, University College London, UK
5. Catching a Feeling: A Practice-based Inquiry into Affective Contagion in Elizabeth Inchabld's The Massacre Rebecca McCutcheon, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Part Two: Sites of Contamination and Containment
6. Plague, Inc.: Theatre's Engagement with Mechanisms of Contagion and Containment Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, University of Oxford, UK
7. Is there a doctor in the house? The Myth and Reality of Audience Psychogenic and Neurological Responses to the Theatre of Horror Julius Green, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
8. 'I don't know why she's crying': Contagion and Criminality in Clean Break's Dream Pill and Little on the inside Molly McPhee, University of Melbourne, Australia
9. Nomadic Contagions and the Performance of Infrastructure in Dale Farm's Post-eviction Scene Lynne McCarthy, University of East London, UK
Part Three: Conducting Emotions, Moods and Minds
10.The Paradox of Immersion: Mechanisms of Contagion and Separation in Punchdrunk's Sleep No More Ana Pais, University of Lisbon, Portugal
11.Outer and Inner Contagions Mark Pizzato, UNC Charlotte, USA
12.Theatre, Appification and VR Apps: Disability Simulations as an Intervention in 'Affective Realism' Liam Jarvis, University of Essex, UK
Notes on Contributors
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Contagious Performance: Between Illness and Ambience Fintan Walsh, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Part One: Infectious Bodies and Behaviours
2. Viral Hamlet: History, Memory, Kinship Fintan Walsh
3. 'A plague o' both your houses': Auditory Contagion and Affective Frequencies in Musical and Intercultural Theatres Marcus Cheng Chye Tan, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
4. 'Look not upon me, for thine eyes are wounding': Infectious Sights in Shakespeare's Theatre of Contagion Shani Bans, University College London, UK
5. Catching a Feeling: A Practice-based Inquiry into Affective Contagion in Elizabeth Inchabld's The Massacre Rebecca McCutcheon, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Part Two: Sites of Contamination and Containment
6. Plague, Inc.: Theatre's Engagement with Mechanisms of Contagion and Containment Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, University of Oxford, UK
7. Is there a doctor in the house? The Myth and Reality of Audience Psychogenic and Neurological Responses to the Theatre of Horror Julius Green, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
8. 'I don't know why she's crying': Contagion and Criminality in Clean Break's Dream Pill and Little on the inside Molly McPhee, University of Melbourne, Australia
9. Nomadic Contagions and the Performance of Infrastructure in Dale Farm's Post-eviction Scene Lynne McCarthy, University of East London, UK
Part Three: Conducting Emotions, Moods and Minds
10.The Paradox of Immersion: Mechanisms of Contagion and Separation in Punchdrunk's Sleep No More Ana Pais, University of Lisbon, Portugal
11.Outer and Inner Contagions Mark Pizzato, UNC Charlotte, USA
12.Theatre, Appification and VR Apps: Disability Simulations as an Intervention in 'Affective Realism' Liam Jarvis, University of Essex, UK
Notes on Contributors
Bibliography
Index