Theatre and Politics

by Joe Kelleher

What happens to politics when it takes the form of theatre? How has theatre both exploited and undermined politics both in society and on the stage?
Theatre & Politics explores the complex relationship between theatre and politics, questioning some of the assumptions that often arise when they are brought together. Challenging ideas about 'entertainment' and 'communication', the book draws on a broad range of key writing from Plato to Rancière, and theatrical examples from Shakespeare and his adaptors through Peter Handke to debbie tucker green.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theatre, Theory

80 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2009

Reviews

[Esraa Gibreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

لغو لا طائل منه، والترجمة سيئة.

[Sandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief, yet interesting introduction to interpreting theatre and politics. Although the brevity of the books suggests that it is written as "a little introduction to ..." for the common reader, Kelleher's text raises many academic issues which might not be as accessible to readers outside of the field of theatre studies. However, his attempts to make these complex theorisations of theatre more accessible are honourable, particularly in those instances when he relates the representational functions of the theatre to other forms of artistic practice or popular culture.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is tiny but tough. "Though she be but little, she is fierce..." (MND). The ideas about theater's role as a political vehicle are interesting, thoroughly researched and sourced, and organized well. There were references to people I expected (Brecht & Boal) and to some new names (Handke & tucker green). I found myself taking margin notes as if studying for an exam; the information here is important for thinking theater artists of the 21st century. "What has happened here in the theatre...is that something has been shown, something has been said, has been brought into appearance, which might not otherwise be shown or spoken of. Let's say the 'politics' begins right there" (p. 26).

[Stacey Venn Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve altered my rating from 2 to 3. Despite thinking this book was relatively pretentious, the title misleading and it generally made me question how I even have a drama degree, I have since used at least 2 concepts from this in my lesson planning, so something positive came out of it.

If you want a theoretical exploration of the wider descriptions of what ‘theatre’ and ‘politics’ are, this is for you. If you want to read about how theatre practitioners are exploring politics in their plays, as you would hope from the title, look elsewhere.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose this book is in some ways thought-provoking, but other than some very loosely-sketched précises on Aristotle, Plato, Brecht & Boal, it provides little in the way of information about political theatre - however, it is clearly intended as an introduction, so it would be unfair to expect much more from it (though a touch more specificity wouldn't have gone amiss).

[Charlotte Claydon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to political theatre with theories nd criticism surrounding this practice. I would have appreciated further exploration of how politics affects theatre.

[Joel Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

a useful bite-sized look at the relationship between theatre and politics (its what it says on the tin)

[elara · Rating 3 out of 5]

pure waffle.

[Eaz]

Reading a short article about the same topic is way better than reading this book .