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Theatre Symposium, Volume 32

Theatre Symposium, Volume 32

Material Performance and Performing Objects

Contributions by Claudia Orenstein, Paulette Richards, Elisabeth Hostetter, Ashley Bellet, Dory Sibley, Echo Sunyata Sibley, Francesca Marie Chilcote, Kyla Kazuschyk, Rebecca Johnson, Skye Strauss, Jesse Njus and Keith Byron Kirk

Published by: The University of Alabama Press

Series: Theatre Symposium Series

Imprint: The University of Alabama Press

136 Pages, 152.00 × 229.00 mm

Paperback
9780817370190
Published: July 2025

£26.99

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Description
Contents
Authors

A new volume of the longstanding theatre journal, documenting conversations that traverse disciplinary boundaries.

Theater Symposium, Volume 32 delves into the collaborative dynamics and ritualistic exchanges within performance during the collective resurgence into a hopeful post-COVID world. This volume’s contributors embark on a journey through the vibrant realm of material performance, with puppetry at the forefront, guiding readers into an expansive landscape of object performance styles and structures. As they navigate this terrain, they pose critical questions that unravel the complexities of object performance analysis and its impact on audiences. Bringing together perspectives from designers, creators, and performers, this volume explores how object performances serve as a medium to engage with the world, fostering synchrony and positive outcomes across a diverse array of artistic practices. Theater Symposium, Volume 32 invites readers to expand their understanding of collaborative practices and the object world, whether it be through the lens of labor or entertainment.

Contributors
Ashley Bellet / Francesca Marie Chilcote / Elisabeth Hostetter / Rebecca Johnson / Kyla Kazuschyk / Keith Byron Kirk / Jesse Njus / Claudia Orenstein / Paulette Richards / Dory Sibley / Echo Sunyata Sibley / Skye Strauss

A Note in Memoriam: Remembering Dr. Edmond Williams by Maegan McNerney Azar

Ethos Statement

Introduction: Objects Walk the World: Little Amal from Calais to Baltimore by Keith Byron Kirk

Objects and Bodies by Claudia Orenstein

Akbar Imhotep and the African American Object Performance Complex by Paulette Richards

Stitched into the Story: Creating Connections through Quilting in A Monster Calls by Skye Strauss

Mask-making and Performance in Southern Louisiana Mardi Gras Traditions by Kyla Kazuschyk

Pandemic-Era Mask Performance: An Analysis of the Performing Medical Face Mask by Rebecca Johnson

The “Henry Rifle” on the German Stage: Karl May’s Depiction of the American West as “Dark and Bloody Grounds” by Elisabeth Hostetter

Silent Reflections—A Clown-Noir Cabaret: Transformation of Object and the Feminist Clown by Francesca Marie Chilcote, Dory Sibley, and Echo Sunyata Sibley (the Women from Mars Theatre)

The Costumes of Sonia Biacchi: Exploring the Object+Body+Dynamic by Ashley Bellet

Why Objects Matter by Jesse Njus

Contributors

Keith Byron Kirk is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has a prolific career encompassing acting, directing, playwriting, and academia and has made significant contributions to the field.