Theatricality and the Arts

Theatricality and the Arts presents a series of investigations of the notion of 'theatricality'. Primarily, theatricality concerns that which pertains to theatre, but the term has always carried with it the potentially pejorative associations of exaggeration and fakery. The essays here question and contest such associations. The book is divided into four sections which together provide a comprehensive interrogation of theatricality. The four sections begin with multimedia, where theatricality is examined in relation to mixed modes of media (internet art, painting, performance and digital display). A second section takes a philosophical approach to questions of theatricality. A third section looks at art, broadly speaking, but also at the historical contexts of art, photography and other media (literature, film, music). A final section features reflections on theatre and cinema, often in conjunction. Considered as a whole, the collection contributes to debates on theatricality in various fields, while also enabling a cross-examination of approaches to the topic.

In keeping with their previous work - both academic and artistic - Quick and Rushton have drawn together a timely and provocative collection on theatricality. One that with finesse, elegance and transparency draws attention both to the complexity of theatricality as its well to as its contemporary resonances in different media and genres. The collection signals a welcome shift back to the aesthetic, which, of course, is something that is rooted in the very construction of the social, as indeed all the diverse contributions in the collection are keen to stress. I highly recommend it to anyone working in the cultural field who is interested in how representation works and what it can do.

Andrew Quick is Professor of Theatre and Performance at Lancaster University Richard Rushton is Professor in Film Studies at Lancaster University

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