Critical Theory and Performance

by Janelle Reinelt (Editor), Joseph Roach (Editor)

Critical Theory and Performance presents a broad range of critical and theoretical methods and applies them to contemporary and historical performance genres—from stage plays, dance-dramas, performance art, cabaret, stand-up comedy, and jazz to circus, street theater, and shamanistic ritual. As the first comprehensive introduction to critical theory’s rich and diverse contributions to the study of drama, theater, and performance, the book has been highly influential for more than a decade in providing fertile ground for academic investigations in the lively field of performance studies.



This updated and expanded edition presents nineteen new essays by the field’s leading scholars and practitioners as well as new critical introductions by editors Janelle G. Reinelt and Joseph R. Roach. Reflecting recent trends in performance studies, this revised edition now includes discussions of critical race theory, postcolonial studies, gender and sexualities, and mediatized cultures. The resulting volume is a unique and indispensable tool for critics, teachers, and students that paves the way for future scholarship.



Janelle G. Reinelt is Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Warwick. Reinelt and Roach



Joseph R. Roach is Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Theater and English at Yale University.

Genres: Theatre, Read For School, Nonfiction

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jessica Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand the methodologies and practices of performance analysis, then read this book. It is immensely helpful for understanding the roles of semiotics, phenomenology, and their infusion in studying performances.
My favorite quote in this book is from Stat's article "essence is not a kind of information or a 'fact' of matter ... but, rather, a transaction between consciousness and the thickness of existence, something that kkpes on going around the back but is also here as well."
I only read a few articles in this edited volume as assigned by my professor, but I will revisit the rest of them when I get more free time on hand.

[melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with anthologies, I didn't read the whole book, but the essays I read for class weren't really related to my interests. The essays on camp were interesting though.