Theatre Fandom: Engaged Audiences in the Twenty-first Century (Fandom & Culture)

By bringing together a range of discussions from leading international fan and performance studies scholars, Theatre Fandom tracks key case studies of theatre fans across different eras, performance forms, and cultures. The contributors emphasize the importance of considering theatrical elements such as pleasure, engagement, allure, enjoyment, and love. They illustrate how leveraging fan enthusiasm can foster greater and more meaningful participation in the cultural industries, potentially guiding us towards a thriving post-pandemic future for theatre.

Contributors: Tom Cantrell, Francesca Coppa, Ruth Foulis, Helen Freshwater, Emily Garside, Caroline Heim, Matt Hills, Natalie Ibu, Laura MacDonald, Dominique Morisseau, Rachael Nicholas, Louie Lang Norman, Owen G. Parry, Stephanie E. Pitts, Sarah M. Price, Beth Emily Richards, Kirsty Sedgman, Megan Vaughan, Ben Walmsley, Sarah K. Whitfield

Kirsty Sedgman is doctor of audiences and senior lecturer in theatre at the University of Bristol. She is author of On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the Rules and Making Things Better. She lives in Bristol, United Kingdom. Francesca Coppa is professor of English, theatre, and film studies at Muhlenberg College. She is author of The Fanfiction Reader: Folk Tales for the Digital Age. She lives in New York City. Matt Hills is honorary professor at the University of Bristol and former professor of fandom studies at the University of Huddersfield. He is author of Fan Cultures. Hills lives in Manchester, United Kingdom.