The Theatricalists

Theatricality is often dismissed as a distraction from “real” politics, as when cynical political gestures are derided as “pure” or “only theater.” But the artists and theater companies discussed in this book, including Back to Back Theatre, Tim Crouch, Rabih Mroué, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, and Christoph Schlingensief, take a different approach.

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Examines how the politics of the theatre can illuminate the theatricality of politics Theatricality is often dismissed as a distraction from “real” politics, as when cynical political gestures are derided as “pure theatre” or “only theatre.” But the artists and theater companies discussed in this book, including Back to Back Theatre, Tim Crouch, Rabih MrouÉ, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, and Christoph Schlingensief, take a different approach. Theron Schmidt argues that they represent a “theatricalist turn” that explores and tests the conditions of the theater itself. Across diverse contexts of political engagement, ranging from disability rights to representations of violence, these theatrical conditions are interconnected with political struggles, such as those over who is seen and heard, how labour is valued, and what counts as “political” in the first place. In a so-called post-political era, The Theatricalists argues that an examination of theatre’s internal politics can expand our understanding of the theatricality of politics more broadly.