Description
Book SynopsisThis magical book is a love letter to the artists whose imagination and cleverness transport us and unite us, and to the beauty and fragility of their performance. When I read it I feel like I am constantly on the joyful edge of falling in love, trying so hard to keep hold of the feelings evoked. A very precious book in our precarious times.
Vicky FeatherstoneAn anthology of critical essays that draw on a decade of the authors thinking, writing about and working within contemporary performance as critics, producers, dramaturgs, makers, archivists and more.Together, the 40 essays sketch a map of the contemporary performance landscape from avant-garde dance to live art to independent theatre, tracing the contours of its themes, aims, desires and relationship to the wider worlds of mainstream theatre, art and politics. Each essay focuses on a particular artist and these include Bryony Kimmings, Dickie Beau, Forced Entertainment, Scottee, Selina Thompson, Tania El Khoury and Uninvit
Trade ReviewAndy Field and Maddy Costa have built a theatre of words inhabited by a fascinating cast of performers. Beyond their evocative descriptions of spectatorship and participation,
Performance in an Age of Precarity also shares compelling accounts of friendship, landscapes of memory and expressions of political urgency. These warm and generous portraits are an important record of observation and affect, placing the artist (as independent maker) center stage. * Robin Deacon, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA *
This magical book is a love letter to the artists whose imagination and cleverness transport us and unite us, and to the beauty and fragility of their performance. When I read it I feel like I am constantly on the joyful edge of falling in love, trying so hard to keep hold of the feelings evoked. A very precious book in our precarious times. * Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre, London *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements About This Book 1. Reckoning with History Rachael Young Dickie Beau Tania El Khoury Breach Theatre Uninvited Guests
2. In Search of New Languages Verity Standen Nigel Barrett & Louise Mari Ellie Dubois Alexandrina Hemsley & Jamila Johnson-Small
3. The Company You Keep Deer Park Made In China Bertrand Lesca & Nasi Voutsas Neil Callaghan & Simone Kenyon Action Hero
4. Fractures and How to Mend Them Dan Canham Sue MacLaine Amy Sharrocks Rachel Mars Selina Thompson
5. Close Encounters Abigail Conway Sheila Ghelani Brian Lobel Ria Hartley Stephanie Albert
6. Acts of Resistance Nic Green Scottee Leo Skilbeck & Milk Presents Christopher Brett Bailey Adrian Howells
7. Other Lives Are Possible Hunt & Darton Rajni Shah Bryony Kimmings Emma Frankland Figs in Wigs
8. Ways of Remembering Jemima Yong Deborah Pearson Greg Wohead Forced Entertainment Tim Crouch & Andy Smith
