Theatre, Intimacy & Engagement: The Last Human Venue (Studies in International Performance)

Theatre, Intimacy and Engagement unravels politics from theatre in order to propose a new means to politicize performance. The last human venue is the location where the sense of one's aliveness, ethical associations, and collective potential is kickstarted through the shock of theatrical affects. Performance analyses ranging from child actors, animals and objects to reflections on the innovative theatre work of Societas Raffaello Sanzio, Forced Entertainment and Goat Island combine to offer a radical critique of performance studies: the first social science of appearance. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Author's Preface......Page 12 Series Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgements......Page 15 Self-evident: intimacy and engagement......Page 18 The human laboratory: parable of a recent past......Page 19 Nature, theatre & politics: the present project......Page 22 A second naïveté: the future constitution......Page 31 Introduction......Page 32 The Ends of Politics......Page 42 A Singular Art......Page 47 The Social Conditional......Page 57 Begin Again......Page 61 Sufficient Goods......Page 63 The Present Imperfect......Page 70 Discipline in Distress......Page 75 A Life in Theatre......Page 85 Theatre Returns......Page 87 Part II: On Performance as Such & On Human Performance in Particular......Page 96 1 The Anthropological Machine......Page 98 2 Nature Table......Page 119 Play ground......Page 122 Swimming pool......Page 128 Class room......Page 130 3 Stage Play......Page 137 Acknowledging......Page 140 The imperative of performance......Page 141 In the infancy of theatre......Page 143 4 Ring-Side......Page 149 5 Redeemed Night......Page 162 Fear......Page 163 Fauna......Page 166 Fur......Page 169 6 Infant Enthusiasm......Page 198 Infant......Page 199 Infant animal......Page 202 Interval......Page 205 Infant, animal, automata......Page 206 Infant 'inhuman' Auschwitz......Page 212 Part III: On The Part of Those Who Have No Part......Page 214 7 The Distribution of the Sensible......Page 216 8 Recalling the Collective......Page 228 9 Forensic Display......Page 248 10 Arrested Life......Page 259 11 The Democracy Machine......Page 270 Memoir: Civil Service......Page 272 Memorial: Military Service......Page 279 Memory: Secret Service......Page 285 Introduction......Page 290 Destination Nature......Page 293 Natural History......Page 304 In the Event of Extinction......Page 309 The Last Human Venue......Page 312 The Franciscan Model......Page 315 The paradox of the actor......Page 318 The parallax of the performer......Page 319 The Lazarus affect......Page 320 Notes......Page 321 Select Bibliography......Page 340 A......Page 349 B......Page 350 C......Page 351 E......Page 353 G......Page 354 H......Page 355 L......Page 356 M......Page 357 O......Page 358 P......Page 359 R......Page 360 S......Page 361 T......Page 362 Z......Page 364 Colour Plates......Page 174 This Text Unravels Politics From Theatre In Order To Propose A New Means To Politicise Performance. The Last Human Venue Is The Location Where The Sense Of One's Aliveness, Ethical Associations And Collective Potential Is Kick-started Through The Shock Of Theatrical Affects. List Of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Self-evident: Intimacy And Engagement -- The Human Laboratory: Parable Of A Recent Past -- Nature, Theatre And Politics: The Present Project -- A Second Naivete: The Future Constitution -- Part I: On The Social Life Of Theatre: Towards A Science Of Appearance -- The Ends Of Politics, A Singular Art, The Social Conditional, Begin Again, Sufficient Goods, The Present Imperfect, Discipline In Distress, A Life In The Theatre, Theatre Returns -- Part Ii: On Performance As Such And On Human Performance In Particular -- The Anthropological Machine -- Nature Table -- Stage Play -- Ring Side -- Redeemed Night -- Infant Enthusiasm -- Part Iii: On The Part Of Those Who Have No Part -- The Distribution Of The Sensible -- Recalling The Collective -- Forensic Display -- Arrested Life -- The Democracy Machine -- Part Iv: In The Event Of Extinction: Natural History And Its Ends -- Destination Nature, Natural History, The Extinction Of Performance, The Last Human Venue, The Franciscan Model -- Postscript -- The Paradox Of The Actor -- The Parallax Of The Performer -- The Lazarus Affect -- Bibliography -- Index. Alan Read. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 299-307) And Index. "The last human venue marks the location and moment of human beings' awareness of their own eventual extinction. Taking this sober end as an affirmative starting point Theatre, Intimacy & Engagement explores ways in which performance operates as an exciter of sentience, kick-starting our sense of being alive, acting as a pleasurable lengthening device to extend our inevitable fate." "Theatre, Intimacy & Engagement continues Alan Read's work on radical inclusion by proposing how a social science of appearance disturbs our assumptions as to what a politics of performance can do when it comes to expanding the collective."--BOOK JACKET This book, now available in paperback, unravels politics from theatre in order to propose a new means to politicize performance. Performance analyses ranging from child actors, animals and objects to reflections on the theatre work of Societas Raffaello Sanzio, Forced Entertainment and Goat Island combine to offer a critique of performance studies.