Applied Theatre: Aesthetics - Softcover

White, Gareth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 147251355X ISBN 13: 9781472513557

Publisher: Methuen Drama, 2015

Synopsis

Applied Theatre: Aesthetics re-examines how the idea of 'the aesthetic' is relevant to performance in social settings. The disinterestedness that traditional aesthetics claims as a key characteristic of art makes little sense when making performances with ordinary people, rooted in their lives and communities, and with personal and social change as its aim. Yet practitioners of applied arts know that their work is not reducible to social work, therapy or education. Reconciling the simultaneous autonomy and heteronomy of art is the problem of aesthetics in applied arts.

Gareth White's introductory essay reviews the field, and proposes an interdisciplinary approach that builds on new developments in evolutionary, cognitive and neuro-aesthetics alongside the politics of art. It addresses the complexities of art and the aesthetic as everyday behaviours and responses.

The second part of the book is made up of essays from leading experts and new voices in the practice and theory of applied performance, reflecting on the key problematics of applying performance with non-performers. New and innovative practice is described and interrogated, and fresh thinking is introduced in response to perennial problems.

About this title

Book Description:

The book re-examines questions of aesthetics in applied theatre by introducing new perspectives from comparative fields and incorporating a range of practical studies.

About the Author:

Gareth White lectures in applied theatre and community performance at Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is also a director, performer and facilitator, with a particular interest in processes and theories of participation and collaborative processes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 147251355X
• ISBN 13: 9781472513557
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320