Product Description

Newly adapted for the Anglophone reader, and including a wealth if practical examples, this is an excellent translation of Hans-Thies Lehmann’s groundbreaking study of the new theatre forms that have developed since the late 1960s, which has become a key reference point in international discussions of contemporary theatre.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154864 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review

‘Hans-Thies Lehmann's Postdramatic Theatre is a fascinating study of new forms of theatre, new genres of the performing arts that have sprung up since the 1960s. It deals with the general shift from text to performance brought about by a performative turn, which took place in the Western cultures in the 1960s. And it does so by viewing such developments in a historical perspective – by taking recourse to the historical avant-garde movements – as well as by addressing and brilliantly elaborating on the most pressing questions and problems posed by these forms. A truly pioneering and thought-provoking study.’

Erika Fischer-Lichte, Free University Berlin

‘This is a timely and highly welcome English translation of a book that in its German original has already become a classic.’

Heike Roms, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

'This is a provocative, illuminating and stimulating book that will undoubtedly become as essential a text in English theatre scholarship as it already has in continental Europe.' – Marvin Carlson, Theatre Research International

'This groundbreaking study [is] an inventive response to the emergence of new technologies.' - International Theatre Informations

From the Back Cover

Hans-Thies Lehmann's groundbreaking study of the new theatre forms that have developed since the late 1960s has become a key reference point in international discussions of contemporary theatre. Postdramatic Theatre refers to theatre after drama. Despite their diversity, the new forms and aesthetics that have evolved have one essential quality in common: they no longer focus on the dramatic text.

Lehmann offers a historical survey combined with a unique theoretical approach, illustrated by a wealth of practical examples, to guide the reader through this new theatre landscape. He considers these developments in relation to dramatic theory and theatre history, and as an inventive response to the emergence of new technologies and a historical shift from a text-based culture to a new media age of image and sound. Engaging with theoreticians of drama and theatre from Aristotle, Hegel, Szondi and Brecht to Barthes, Lyotard and Schechner, the book analyses the work of recent experimental theatre practitioners such as Robert Wilson, Tadeusz Kantor, Heiner Müller, The Wooster Group, Needcompany and Societas Raffaello Sanzio.

This excellent translation is newly adapted for the Anglophone reader, including an introduction by Karen Jürs-Munby which provides useful theoretical and artistic contexts for the book.

About the Author

Hans-Thies Lehmann is Professor of Theatre Studies at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His numerous publications include Theater und Mythos (1991) on the constitution of the subject in ancient Greek tragedy, Writing the Political (2002) and, with Patrick Primavesi, Heiner Müller Handbuch (2004).

Karen Jürs-Munby is Senior Lecturer in Drama, Theatre and Performance at the University of Huddersfield.

Customer Reviews

Any downsides are forgivable.
The first noticable aspect is the sheer density of lanuage used in this book. Whether through condensing or just writing style, expect to spend twice as long as usual on each page.
Also the structure is rather difficult - or at the very least different.

The impossibility of a genre of Postmodern Theatre is assumed (p14). (Attempts to define this have met with criticism in some quarters - Nick Kaye; Birringer). This being so, "Postdramatic Theatre" is the only book on this topic precisely, it is an introduction AND analysis so gets into some heavy analysis very quickly. Jürs-Munby's introduction is very useful setting the tone of the book and providing extra Anglo-American examples; a number of Lehmann's example were edited out - a plus I'd say, there are plenty of Anglophone examples left. A good knowledge of Aristotle's "Poetics" is assumed from the start and references to many philosophers remains unexplained.

Chapter by chapter:
"Drama" defines the purpose of the study and diffrentiates it from previous studies. It looks at theatre in terms of performance and proposes Postdrama
"Prehistories" briefly looks at former moves away from the Dramatic model - predominantly the avant-garde. The assretion here is that all older forms have hung onto an aspect that can be described as Dramatic.
"Panorama of Postdramatic Theatre" suddenly jumps into a list of a few dozen re-occuring devices/themes of Postdramatic Theatre. These are examined and related to examples.
"Performance" underscores the importance of live performance over the textual element of theatre.
"Aspects" is a short section examining the 'unities' of Drama: Time, Space, text, bodies; or more specifically, identifying Postdrama's move away from these as formally recognised.
"Epilogue" places its focus on the political facet of theatre. This section is reminiscent of postmodern discourse and is not very well related to the genre of Postdramatic theatre.

The fact that close to half of the bibliography is Germanic can get very frustrating. This is, of course, forgivable considering that about half of the literature in this area IS writen in German.

Unusually for academic book, this must really be read pretty much cover-to-cover; each chapter may deal completely with a single aspect being self-contained, but none of the chapters will make much sense before reading the enture volume to place each in context. The examples may be accessible if one is reading about a particular practitioner, however. In summary, the book is a must have for those with a desire to understand Postdramatic Theatre, or possibly in the study of the Postmodern, but does not make for good bedtime reading. It may be said that the entire work could be rephrased: 'anything that does not include dramatic elements', but that would surely take the fun out of academia.