Performance A Critical Introduction

An overview on the modern concept of performance

This book provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and its development in various related fields; including the development of performance art since the 1960s, the relationship between performance, postmodernism, the politics of identity and current cultural studies, and the recent theoretical developments in the study of performance in the fields of anthropology, psychoanalysis, linguistics and technology.

This book provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and its development in various related fields; including the development of performance art since the 1960s, the relationship between performance, postmodernism, the politics of identity and current cultural studies, and the recent theoretical developments in the study of performance in the fields of anthropology, psychoanalysis, linguistics and technology.

Updated and enlarged, this groundbreaking collection surveys the major critical currents and approaches in drama, theater, and performance

What is 'performance'? What are the boundaries of Performance Studies? How do we talk about contemporary performance practices today in simple but probing terms? What kinds of practices represent the field and how can we interpret them? Combining the voices of academics, artists, cultural critics and teachers, Performance Perspectives answers these questions and provides a critical introduction to Performance Studies. Presenting an accessible way into key terminology and context, it offers a new model for analyzing contemporary performance based on six frames or perspectives: - Body - Space - Time - Technology - Interactivity - Organization Drawing on examples from a wide range of practices across site specific performance, virtual reality, dance, applied theatre and everyday performance, Performance Perspectives addresses the binary of theory and practice and highlights the many meeting points between studio and seminar room. Each chapter takes the innovative form of a three-way conversation, bringing together theoretical introductions with artist interviews and practitioner statements. The book is supported by activities for discussion and practical devising work, as well as clear guidance for further reading and an extensive reference list across media Performance Perspectives is essential reading for anyone studying, interpreting or making performance.

What is implied when we refer to the study of performing arts as 'drama', 'theatre' or 'performance'? Each term identifies a different tradition of thought and offers different possibilities to the student or practitioner. This book examines the history and use of the terms and investigates the different philosophies, politics, languages and institutions with which they are associated. Simon Shepherd and Mick Wallis: analyze attitudes to drama, theatre and performance at different historical junctures trace a range of political interventions into the field(s) explore and contextualise the institutionalisation of drama and theatre as university subjects, then the emergence of 'performance' as practice, theory and academic disciplines guide readers through major approaches to drama, theatre and performance, from theatre history, through theories of ritual or play, to the idea of performance as paradigm for a postmodern age discuss crucial terms such as action, alienation, catharsis, character, empathy, interculturalism, mimesis, presence or representation in a substantial 'keywords' section. Continually linking their analysis to wider cultural concerns, the authors here offer the most wide-ranging and authoritative guide available to a vibrant, fast-moving field and vigorous debates about its nature, purpose and place in the academy.

Revised and restructured, this second edition of Modern Art traces the historical and contemporary contexts for understanding modern art movements, and the theories that influenced and attempted to explain them. Its radical approach foregoes the chronological approach to art movements in favour of looking at the ways in which art has been understood. The editors investigate the main developments in art interpretation and draw examples from a wide range of genres including painting, sculpture, photography, installation and performance art. This second edition has been fully updated to include many more examples of recent art practice, as well as an expanded glossary and comprehensive marginal notes providing definitions of key terms. Extensively illustrated with a wide range of visual examples, Modern Art is the essential textbook for students of art history.

Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader is an invaluable resource for students of physically orientated theatre and performance. This book aims to trace the roots and development of physicality in theatre by combining practical experience of the field with a strong historical and theoretical underpinning. In exploring the histories, cross-overs and intersections of physical theatres, this critical Reader provides: six new, specially commissioned essays, covering each of the book’s main themes, from technical traditions to contemporary practises discussion of issues such as the foregrounding of the body, training and performance processes, and the origins of theatre in both play and human cognition a focus on the relationship and tensions between the verbal and the physical in theatre contributions from Augusto Boal, Stephen Berkoff, Étienne Decroux, Bertolt Brecht, David George, J-J. Rousseau, Ana Sanchez Colberg, Michael Chekhov, Jeff Nuttall, Jacques Lecoq, Yoshi Oida, Mike Pearson, and Aristotle.

The new third edition of A Critical Introduction to Sport Psychology is the only textbook in the field that provides a detailed overview of key theories, concepts and findings within the discipline of sport psychology, as well as a critical perspective that examines and challenges these core foundations. Fully revised and updated, the new edition covers key research findings affecting both participation and performance in sport, including topics such as motivation, anxiety, emotional coping, concentration, mental imagery, expertise and team cohesion. In addition, the book includes a range of helpful features that bring the science to life, including critical thinking exercises, suggestions for student projects and new "In the spotlight" boxes that highlight key advances in theory or practice. A comprehensive glossary is also included, whilst a final chapter examines some new horizons in sport psychology, including embodied cognition and socio-cultural perspectives. Sport is played with the body but often won in the mind; that is the theory. A Critical Introduction to Sport Psychology is the definitive textbook for anyone wishing to engage critically with this fascinating idea.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.