The Radical in Performance investigates the crisis in contemporary theatre, and celebrates the subversive in performance. It is the first full-length study to explore the link between a western theatre which, says Kershaw, is largely outdated and the blossoming of postmodern performance, much of which has a genuinely radical edge. In staying focused on the period between Brecht and Baudrillard, modernity and postmodernism, Baz Kershaw identifies crucial resources for the revitalisation of the radical across a wide spectrum of cultural practices.
This is a timely, necessary and rigorous book. It will be a compelling read for anyone searching for a critical catalyst for new ways of viewing and practising cultural politics.
Prologue; Introduction; Part I Theatre and performance; Chapter 1 The limits of theatre; Chapter 2 The excesses of performance; Part II Performance, Part Icipation, power; Chapter 3 Fighting in the streets; Chapter 4 The shadow of oppression; Chapter 5 The death of nostalgia; Chapter 6 The sight of the blind; Epilogue;