This book offers an exhaustive approach to all forms of staged violence and an in-depth analysis of their emergence and repercussions (dramaturgically and physically).

This study explores instruments to surpass the dichotomic opposition victim-oppressor, to demystify the spell of violence, and to get rid of the morbid voyeurism often connected to staged violence, and eventually, it proposes transformative tools to explore empowering experiences through violence. Considering all the aspects of a theatre performance engaging with staged violence (the story displaying violence, the actors' embodiment of violence, the spectators' experiences of being exposed to violence, and the process of performing violence), this book proposes analytical and practical tools to explore the limit and to transform the experience of performing violence.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre and performance studies.

About the Author

Davide Giovanzana is a theatre director, researcher and lecturer in acting at Tampere University, Finland.

Reviews

Davide Giovanzana's work at the crossroads of theater practice and theory has for more than two decades pushed for a new understanding of not just the performing arts and their research, but of excess and ethics in general. Performing Violence [work title] is a highly recommendable read for scholars and practitioners in all arts, without forgetting philosophers, who might find interest in Giovanzana's novel way of reflecting on philosophical questions through experimental theater practice. Central for both traditional and digital theater, violence forces the audience to engage with the performance both psychologically and somatically. The topic might be a perennial one, but Giovanzana's hand-on methods of dealing with it provide new solid results, especially helpful for the practitioner.

Max Ryynanen, Principal Lecturer, Aalto University, Department of Art and Media

Book Information
ISBN 9781032847597
Author Davide Giovanzana
Format Hardback
Page Count 168
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd