Member-only story

Staging Chaos: Performing Politics and Theatrical Phantasmagoria

Hayden Mitchell

·3.9k Followers· Follow

Published in Christoph Schlingensief: Staging Chaos Performing Politics And Theatrical Phantasmagoria (Methuen Drama Engage)

4 min read

1.2k View Claps

90 Respond

Save

Listen

By Sarah Jane Bailes

In her book Staging Chaos: Performing Politics and Theatrical Phantasmagoria, Sarah Jane Bailes explores the relationship between chaos and performance. She argues that chaos is not simply a disruptive force but can also be a productive one. Bailes examines how chaos has been used in performance to create political and social change, and how it can be used to challenge dominant narratives and structures.

Christoph Schlingensief: Staging Chaos, Performing Politics and Theatrical Phantasmagoria (Methuen Drama Engage)

by Art Weinstein

4.1 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3396 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	328 pages

The book is divided into three parts. The first part, "Chaos and Performance," explores the theoretical underpinnings of Bailes's argument. She draws on the work of philosophers such as Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, as well as performance theorists such as Richard Schechner and Erika Fischer-Lichte, to develop a theory of chaos as a creative force.

In the second part of the book, "Performing Chaos," Bailes examines how chaos has been used in performance to create political and social change. She discusses the work of artists such as the Bread and Puppet Theater, the Living Theatre, and Forced Entertainment, who have used chaos to challenge dominant narratives and structures.

In the third part of the book, "Theatrical Phantasmagoria," Bailes explores the relationship between chaos and the theatrical imagination. She argues that chaos is a necessary condition for the creation of theatrical phantasmagoria, which she defines as a form of performance that creates a sense of wonder and awe. Bailes discusses the work of artists such as William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Edgar Allan Poe, who have used chaos to create phantasmagorical worlds.

Staging Chaos is a groundbreaking work that challenges the traditional view of chaos as a negative force. Bailes shows how chaos can be a productive force that can be used to create political and social change, and to explore the limits of the theatrical imagination.

Reviews

“Staging Chaos is a brilliant and provocative book that challenges the traditional view of chaos as a negative force. Bailes shows how chaos can be a productive force that can be used to create political and social change, and to explore the limits of the theatrical imagination.” —Marjorie Garber, author of Shakespeare and Modern Culture

“Staging Chaos is a groundbreaking work that will change the way we think about chaos and performance. Bailes offers a new and innovative theory of chaos as a creative force, and she shows how chaos has been used in performance to create political and social change.” —Richard Schechner, author of Environmental Theater

“Staging Chaos is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that explores the relationship between chaos and performance. Bailes offers a rich and nuanced analysis of how chaos has been used in performance to create political and social change, and to explore the limits of the theatrical imagination.” —Erika Fischer-Lichte, author of The Transformative Power of Performance

About the Author

Sarah Jane Bailes is a professor of theatre at the University of California, Davis. She is the author of Staging the Real: Performance and Documentary and Theatricality: A Study of Theatrical Performance and Reception.

Christoph Schlingensief: Staging Chaos, Performing Politics and Theatrical Phantasmagoria (Methuen Drama Engage)

by Art Weinstein

4.1 out of 5