Authenticity in Contemporary Theatre and Performance: Make it Real (Engage)

Synopsis

Authenticity Is One Of The Major Values Of Our Time. It Is Visible Everywhere, From Clothing To Food To Self-help Books. While It Is Such A Prevalent Phenomenon, It Is Also Very Evasive. This Study Analyses The 'culture Of Authenticity' As It Relates To Theatre And Establishes A Theoretical Framework For Analysis. Daniel Schulz Argues That Authenticity Is Sought Out And Marked By The Individual And Springs From A Culture That Is Perceived As Inherently Fake And Lacking Depth. The Study Examines Three Types Of Performances That Exemplify This Structure Of Feeling: Intimate Theatre Seen In Forced Entertainment Productions Such As Quizoola! (1996, 2015), As Well As One-on-one Performances, Such As Oentroerend Goed's Internal (2009); Immersive Theatres As Illustrated By Punchdrunk's Shows The Masque Of The Red Death (2007) And The Drowned Man (2013) Which Provide A Visceral, Sensate Understanding For Audiences. It Is Specifically The Value Of The Document That Lends Such Performances Their Truth-value And Consequently Their Authenticity. The Study Analyses How The Success Of These Disparate Categories Of Performance Can Be Explained Through A Common Concern With Notions Of Truth And Authenticity. It Argues That This Hunger For Authentic, Unmediated Experience Is Characteristic Of A Structure Of Feeling That Has Superseded Postmodernism And That Actively Seeks To Resignify Artistic And Cultural Practices Of The Everyday. Machine Generated Contents Note: -- Acknowledgements -- 1. In Search Of Authenticity -- 2. Intimate Theatre -- 3. Immersive Theatre -- 4. Documentary Theatre -- 5. An Ending -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. Daniel Schulze. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 261-279) And Index.