Spectatorship and the Real in French Contemporary Theatre

Amélie Mons

$170

Hardback

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English

Methuen Drama
22 February 2024

Theatre Studies

Series: Methuen Drama Engage

This book explores how avant-garde directors in French theatre play on their audiences’ frustration to generate an encounter with the real.

Focusing on the work of directors such as Gisèle Vienne, Jan Lauwers, Rodrigo Garcia, Jan Fabre and Romeo Castellucci, the book looks at how these directors manipulate their audiences to experience a raw perception of materiality and physical bodies on stage, set within narratives of mystery and the uncanny. This approach has led to these directors' work described as 'obscene', 'pretentious', 'demagogic' and 'provocative'.

Because of this, the act of spectating and the nature of spectatorship itself becomes complicated and tends to leave French audiences doubting traditional codes and practices. It leads to the directors' work being misjudged and to contradictory discourses between critics, researchers and directors.

The book examines how directors implement strategies on stage to trigger such experiences, while evaluating how problematic these strategies are. It develops critical and philosophical tools that help spectators extend their field of perception and better engage with these contemporary practices. And, in doing so, it analyses a fascinating paradox: the French theatre scene hosting both active avant-garde practices, especially when it comes to spectator experience, and strong rejections from audiences.

By: Amélie Mons
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781350300835
ISBN 10: 1350300837
Series: Methuen Drama Engage
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 22 February 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Section I: In The Audience: Misunderstandings Over Contemporary Theatre in France 1. Lack of Pleasure, Lack of Meaning 2. Anglophone v French Practices 3. The French Political Problem Section II. On Stage: Strategies to Challenge Perception 1. Our Processes of Recognition 2. Strategies to Thwart Processes of Recognition Section III. Spectatorship as a Philosophical Practice 1. Becoming Masters of Our Own Gaze 2. Do We Really Want to Encounter the Real? Conclusion Bibliography Index

Amélie Mons is Course Leader and TA lead at the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning at the University of Manchester, UK. She has published articles in internationally well-regarded journals such as Revista Trágica, Neophilologus and European Drama & Performance Studies.

PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY

Spectatorship and the Real in French Contemporary Theatre

Amélie Mons

$170

Hardback

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