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Devising Postdramatic Theatre in the Academy

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on devised postdramatic theatre. As its point of departure, it uses the work of Gob Squad, an acclaimed theatre group whose reputation rests on its devising practices, which are perhaps best described as postdramatic. The chapter provides a close reading of War and Peace, before going on to provide a “performative” manifesto for devising postdramatic theatre with students. The chapter examines how the concept of postdramatic theatre provides a useful way into understanding the conceptual basis of such devised work with particular reference to the political and philosophical dimensions of Gob Squad’s War and Peace. The chapter also examines the way this group manipulate the performer/audience relationship to unsettle the apparently “passive” role of the spectator in dramatic theatre.

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D’Cruz, G. (2018). Devising Postdramatic Theatre in the Academy. In: Teaching Postdramatic Theatre. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71685-5_7

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