Theatre Revivals for the Anthropocene

Explores how the revival of classic plays can inspire new approaches to ecological challenges.

Patrick Lonergan (Author)

9781009282147, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 September 2023

80 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.13 kg

This Element argues that the climate emergency requires a new approach to the study of theatre history – a suggestion that is developed through an analysis of the practice of theatrical revival during the Anthropocene era. Staging old plays in new ways can make visible ecological or environmental features that might have previously gone unnoticed: features which, in some cases, might not have been consciously included by the original authors or makers of a work, but which will be detectable to audiences nevertheless. These links are explored through case studies from the contemporary Irish theatre – including revivals of plays by Shakespeare, Lady Gregory, and Samuel Beckett, as performed by such major Irish companies as Rough Magic, Druid Theatre, and Company SJ. The Element ultimately shows how theatre can contribute to debates about the Anthropocene, and offers new pathways for theatre practice and criticism.

Introduction
1. Ecodramaturgies: Beckett's Happy Days/Laethanta Sona
2. Deepening Time: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
3. Ecognosis: DruidGregory by Lady Gregory
Reflections
References.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]