Scientific Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Theater Studies, Dance, grade: H1, University of Melbourne, course: Architecture, Space, and Theatre, language: English, abstract: The frontal set-up of the proscenium arch now marks a central point of debate regarding the nature of representation within the theatre. The proscenium’s frontal architectural form seems to have little room for discussion as it detaches the spectator from the performance through the employment of the fourth wall. This lack of discussion has repeatedly been blamed for the reestablishment of traditional bourgeois values and hegemonic sign-systems within the theatre. (Heuvel 1992) Hence, the 20th century was more than happy to embrace the multitude of theatrical innovations as new staging concepts stirred away from the ‘antiquity’ of the proscenium arch, moving into a new and exciting artistic terrain that involved theatre in the round, environmental theatre, etc. (Heuvel 1992) These innovations celebrated the theatre as an interactive experience between the actors and the audience, liberating the stage from the ‘dull’ frontal viewing that the proscenium arch had seemed to chain itself to. Representation within these emerging theatre styles evolved into a state of ‘experiencing the image’ rather than merely ‘viewing it’ and the audience was now able to play an active role, allowing them to interact/question the sign systems on stage. Oddly enough, the proscenium still seems to be the most common form of staging within our Western theatre culture. Realistic, Epic, and the Post-modern Theatre of Images mark three of the most historically significant genre’s within the theatrical movement, yet, these three styles predominantly employ the proscenium arch as a theatre space. Their regressive use of this staging has at times been considered reactionary, leading to anxieties about a backlash within the theatrical movement. While for some, the use of the proscenium may signify an artistic backlash, I would argue that the proscenium has undergone a crucial range of adaptations; signifying the constant evolution of representation within the theatre. Through a discussion regarding the development of the proscenium arch within the genre’s of Realistic, Epic, and post-modern theatre, we can see how this staging has been able to manipulate its frontal frame as it, often successfully, responds to our constantly changing environment.

In Acts of Resistance in Late-Modernist Theatre, Richard Murphet presents a close analysis of the theatre practice of two ground-breaking artists – Richard Foreman and Jenny Kemp – active over the late twentieth and the early twenty-first century. In addition, he tracks the development of a form of ‘epileptic’ writing over the course of his own career as writer/director. Murphet argues that these three auteurs have developed subversive alternatives to the previously dominant forms of dramatic realism in order to re-think the relationship between theatre and reality. They write and direct their own work, and their artistic experimentation is manifest in the tension created between their content and their form. Murphet investigates how the works are made, rather than focusing upon an interpretation of their meaning. Through an examination of these artists, we gain a deeper understanding of a late modernist paradigm shift in theatre practice.

This book reflects on the aftermath of shifts encountered in the maturing of digital culture in areas of critical theory and artistic practices, focusing on the awareness that contemporary subjectivity is one that dwells within both the virtual and the real.

Theater and Cultural Politics for a New World presents a radical re-examination of the ways in which demographic shifts will impact theater and performance culture in the twenty-first century. Editor Chinua Thelwell brings together the revealing insights of artists, scholars, and organizers to produce a unique intersectional conversation about the transformative potential of theater. Opening with a case study of the New WORLD Theater and moving on to a fascinating range of essays, the book looks at five main themes: Changing demographics Future aesthetics Making institutional space Critical multiculturalism Polyculturalism