Introduction

Abstract

This book is an attempt to explore the implications of the concept of immanence for theatre and performance.¹ In particular, it is an effort to conceive what we might call a ‘theatre of immanence’ or ‘immanent theatre’ by way of an exploration of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze (1925–95) in conjunction with the work of a group of core practitioners who, I propose, think immanence in and as performance: the Living Theatre (1947–), John Cage (1912–92) and Goat Island (1987–2009) in Chapter 1; Antonin Artaud (1896–1948), Carmelo Bene (1937–2002), Robert Wilson (1941–) and Georges Lavaudant (1947–) in Chapter 2; Hijikata Tatsumi (1928–86) and Marcus Coates (1968–) in Chapter 3; Allan Kaprow (1927–2006) and Lygia Clark (1920–88) in Chapter 4; and finally, back to Goat Island and Robert Wilson again in Chapter 5. In each of these five chapters, this book will also pay particular attention to the ethical dimensions of theatres of immanence, questioning what ‘good’ an immanent theatre might be and on what grounds that ‘goodness’ might be evaluated.