Theatrical characters’ dual existence on stage and in text presents a unique, challenging case for the analytical philosopher. Analytic Philosophy and the World of the Play re-examines the ontological status of theatre and its fictional objects through the "possible worlds" thesis, arguing that theatre is not a mirror of our world, but a re-creation of it. Taking a fresh look at theatre’s key elements, including the hotly contested relationships between character and actor; onstage and offstage "worlds"; and the play-text and performance, Michael Y. Bennett presents a radical new way of understanding the world of the play.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Theatre and the mirror of nature -- Part I Exposing the problem and proposing a solution -- 1 Theatrical names and reference: Dialectical-synecdochic objects and "re-creation"--2 The world of the play: Theatre as "re-creation"--Part II Applying the (proposed) solution to the problems -- 3 "Liveness"? The presumption of dramatic and theatrical "liveness" -- 4 Boundedness of (fictional) theatre to our (real) world: Actor and audience -- 5 Identity across "possible worlds": "The world beyond" the play -- Conclusions -- #1 The purpose of playing: Why go to the theatre? -- #2 Where the world of theatre ends: Performance art -- #3 Make-believe -- Afterword -- Bibliography -- Index

Michael Beaney introduces analytic philosophy by exploring some of the key ideas of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Susan Stebbing. He also considers how analytic philosophy has developed and spread to become the dominant philosophical tradition across the world.

Despite the growing literature on the subject, scholars of drama and philosophy have almost entirely avoided discussing analytic philosophy. Although not of concern to most dramatists, analytic philosophy—a key development in the discipline during the 20th century—is central to the theatre of Tom Stoppard, who has written numerous plays that either engage with analytic thought or feature analytic philosophers as main characters. Yet in the critical account of Stoppard's philosophical plays, scant few talk about how Stoppard's discourse with philosophy centers on analytic thought. Grouping six of Stoppard's works across several media into the "analytic plays," this paper argues that analytic philosophy affords Stoppard a wealth of unique dramatic opportunities. Of the six analytic plays, which consist of Dogg's Hamlet, Jumpers, Professional Foul, Hapgood, Darkside, and The Hard Problem, the radio drama Darkside best exemplifies Stoppard's analytic dramaturgy through its satiric use of "the trolley problem," the most famous thought experiment in analytic ethics. Stoppard utilizes the trolley problem as the dramatic scenario of Darkside, a radio play wherein he lampoons the trolley problem's inability to meaningfully frame ethical issues. Darkside tells the audience that far-fetched analytic thought experiments like the trolley problem are harmful for good philosophy while also showing that these thought experiments offer meaningful dramaturgical value for the theatre, particularly for the "drama of ideas." In doing so, Stoppard bridges the oft-discussed divide between theatre and philosophy. For Stoppard, the implausible yet imaginative scenarios devised by analytic philosophers are an unwitting case of philosophy and theatre working alongside each other. Darkside does not reject analytic thought, even as it parodies it; instead, it devises limitations on the applicability of analytic thought to the real world, while extracting from analytic philosophy dramatic tools that can be seen in Stoppard's analytic plays

The fifteen original essays in Staging Philosophy make useful connections between the discipline of philosophy and the fields of theater and performance and use these insights to develop new theories about theater. Each of the contributors—leading scholars in the fields of performance and philosophy—breaks new ground, presents new arguments, and offers new theories that will pave the way for future scholarship. Staging Philosophy raises issues of critical importance by providing case studies of various philosophical movements and schools of thought, including aesthetics, analytic philosophy, phenomenology, deconstruction, critical realism, and cognitive science. The essays, which are organized into three sections—history and method, presence, and reception—take up fundamental issues such as spectatorship, empathy, ethics, theater as literature, and the essence of live performance. While some essays challenge assertions made by critics and historians of theater and performance, others analyze the assumptions of manifestos that prescribe how practitioners should go about creating texts and performances. The first book to bridge the disciplines of theater and philosophy, Staging Philosophy will provoke, stimulate, engage, and ultimately bring theater to the foreground of intellectual inquiry while it inspires further philosophical investigation into theater and performance. David Krasner is Associate Professor of Theater Studies, African American Studies, and English at Yale University. His books include A Beautiful Pageant: African American Theatre, Drama, and Performance in the Harlem Renaissance, 1910-1920 and Renaissance, Parody, and Double Consciousness in African American Theatre, 1895-1910. He is co-editor of the series Theater: Theory/Text/Performance. David Z. Saltz is Professor of Theatre Studies and Head of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Georgia. He is coeditor of Theater Journal and is the principal investigator of the innovative Virtual Vaudeville project at the University of Georgia.

In thinking about the conceptual empty spaces of theatre, Between the Lines: A Philosophy of Theatre investigates theatre as an art form, the properties of theatrical characters and theatrical worlds, and the difference between truth and truthfulness in the theatre. Ultimately, this book aims to offer a systematic account of theatre--thinking about theatre metaphysically, epistemologically, and ethically.

A Brief History of Analytic Philosophy: From Russell to Rawls presents a comprehensive overview of the historical development of all major aspects of analytic philosophy, the dominant Anglo-American philosophical tradition in the twentieth century. Features coverage of all the major subject areas and figures in analytic philosophy - including Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, G.E. Moore, Gottlob Frege, Carnap, Quine, Davidson, Kripke, Putnam, and many others Contains explanatory background material to help make clear technical philosophical concepts Includes listings of suggested further readings Written in a clear, direct style that presupposes little previous knowledge of philosophy