Applied Theatre: Aesthetics re-examines how the idea of 'the aesthetic' is relevant to performance in social settings. The disinterestedness that traditional aesthetics claims as a key characteristic of art makes little sense when making performances with ordinary people, rooted in their lives and communities, and with personal and social change as its aim. Yet practitioners of applied arts know that their work is not reducible to social work, therapy or education. Reconciling the simultaneous autonomy and heteronomy of art is the problem of aesthetics in applied arts. Gareth White's introductory essay reviews the field, and proposes an interdisciplinary approach that builds on new developments in evolutionary, cognitive and neuro-aesthetics alongside the politics of art. It addresses the complexities of art and the aesthetic as everyday behaviours and responses. The second part of the book is made up of essays from leading experts and new voices in the practice and theory of applied performance, reflecting on the key problematics of applying performance with non-performers. New and innovative practice is described and interrogated, and fresh thinking is introduced in response to perennial problems.
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Introduction Chapter 1 - Aesthetics and the Aesthetic (Gareth White) Chapter 2 - Aesthetic Autonomy and Heteronomous Aesthetics (Gareth White) Chapter 3 - Dancing With Difference: Moving Towards a New Aesthetics (Nicola Shaughnessy, University of Kent, UK) Chapter 4 - Revolutionary Beauty Out of Homophobic Hate (Mojisola Adebayo, Queen Mary, University of London, UK) Chapter 5 - Competing International Players and their Aesthetic Imperatives:The Future of Internationalised Applied Theatre Practice? (Kirsten Sadeghi-Yekta) Chapter 6 - Aesthetic Play: Between Performance and Justice (Ananda Breed, University of East London, UK) Chapter 7 - The Political Imagination and Contemporary Theatre for Youth (Anna Hickey-Moody, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK) Chapter 8 - The Aesthetics of Becoming; Applied Theatre and the Quest for Cultural Certitude (Brian Heap, University of West Indies) Epilogue (Gareth White) Notes Index
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Part theory and part case studies in practical application, Applied Theatre: Aesthetics offers a valuable perspective on the significance of beauty within the context of theatre engaged in social change. White’s edited book is a well-written, well-formatted collection of essays offering conflicting, yet complementary views on these diverging notions of what a revolutionary aesthetic must resemble. … Each case study is vastly different regarding context, methodology, scope, purpose, and space, yet each in its own unique way addresses the issue of aesthetics within applied theatre. … White has cultivated an eloquent and yet successful argument for the use of beauty to encourage change. Collectively, these scholars and theatre practitioners have initiated a thoughtful and intriguing dialogue on the nature of aesthetics, particularly the potential inclusion of participatory aesthetics within the context of theatre in general and applied theatre specifically.
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The book re-examines questions of aesthetics in applied theatre by introducing new perspectives from comparative fields and incorporating a range of practical studies.
Features a collection of essays by leading practitioners and theorists, such as Mojisola Adebayo, Nicola Shaughnessy and Anna Hickey-Moody.
The Applied Theatre series is a major innovation in applied theatre scholarship, bringing together leading international scholars who engage with and advance the field of Applied Theatre. Each book presents new ways of seeing and critically reflecting on this dynamic and vibrant field. Volumes offer a theoretical framework and introductory survey of the field addressed, combined with a range of case studies illustrating, and critically engaging with, practice.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781472513557
Publisert
2015-02-26
Utgiver
Vendor
Methuen Drama
Vekt
372 gr
Høyde
216 mm
Bredde
138 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
320

Forfatter

Biographical note

Gareth White lectures in applied theatre and community performance at Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is also a director, performer and facilitator, with a particular interest in processes and theories of participation and collaborative processes.