What do we mean when we describe theatre as political today? How might theatre-makers' provocations for change need to be differently designed when addressing the precarious spectator-subject of twenty- first century neoliberalism? In this important study Liz Tomlin interrogates the influential theories of Jacques Ranciere to propose a new framework of analysis through which contemporary political dramaturgies can be investigated. Drawing, in particular, on Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Lilie Chouliaraki and Judith Butler, Tomlin argues that the capacities of the contemporary and future spectator to be 'effected' or 'affected' by politically-engaged theatre need to be urgently re-evaluated. Central to this study is Tomlin's theorized figuration of the neoliberal spectator-subject as precarious, individualized and ironic, with a reduced capacity for empathy, agency and the ability to imagine better futures. This, in turn, leads to a predilection for a response to injustice that is driven by a concern for the feelings of the subject-self, rather than concern for the suffering other. These characteristics are argued to shape even those spectator-subjects towards the left of the political spectrum, thus necessitating a careful reconsideration of new and long-standing dramaturgies of political provocation. Dramaturgies examined include the ironic invitations of Made in China and Martin Crimp, the exploration of affect in Kieran Hurley's Heads Up, the new sincerity that characterizes the work of Andy Smith, the turn to the staging of the spectators' 'other' in Developing Artists' Queens of Syria and Chris Thorpe and Rachel Chavkin's Confirmation, and the community activism of Common Wealth's The Deal Versus the People.

Liz Tomlin re-evaluates the political efficacy of a wide range of contemporary theatre practice in light of claims that the human subject is becoming increasingly individualized and precarious, with damaging consequences for the spectator's capacity to empathize and envisage possible futures.

About the Author
Liz Tomlin is Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Glasgow, UK.

Reviews
Tomlin (Univ. of Glasgow, UK) carefully and rigorously lays out her thesis and premise, which is that the time has come to refresh dramaturgical thinking to further political provocations in theater spectatorship ... Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. * CHOICE *



Book Information
ISBN 9781474295604
Author Liz Tomlin
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 358g