Rhythm in Postdramatic Performance Process: Voyages into the Work of Mime Omnibus, Dairakudakan and Siti Company

Combining theory and historiography, this book presents a new means for considering rhythm in postdramatic performance by examining the creative processes of three major international companies: Mime Omnibus (Montreal, Canada), Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan), and SITI Company (New York, US). While rhythm is unanimously acknowledged as fundamental to performance, critical in every role from performing and directing to design and dramaturgy, studies on the subject are limited and the phenomenon remains obscure. This book remedies that, offering a unique focus on ‘rhythmanalysis’, bringing distinctive and insightful attention to rhythm as permeating key areas of performance process. By focusing on recent work from these three major companies, the book provides a glimpse into each company's latest devising processes, enriched by scholarly and archival research, while personal interviews give voice to performers often absent in performance analysis and criticism. Through its theoretical and practical offerings, this book brings greater understanding by putting forth a simplified model that can be applied to both interdisciplinary practices and theoretical analysis. The reader gains not only a greater understanding of rhythm in contemporary performance, but also significant insights into the working methods of each company.

Sebastian Samur is a multilingual performer and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto's Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, Canada. His writing can be found in Theatre Research in Canada, Asian Theatre Journal, Canadian Theatre Review, Stanislavski Studies and Jeu, among other publications.

Julia Listengarten is Professor of Theatre at the University of Central Florida, USA. She is an artist scholar and her research interests range from contemporary performance to socially engaged creative practices. Her recent books include Visual and Performing Arts Collaboration: Transdisciplinary Practices (2023, with Keri Watson) and Performing Arousal: Precarious Bodies and Frames of Representation (Methuen Drama, 2022, with Yana Meerzon).