Scenography Expanded An Introduction to Contemporary Performance Design

Scenography Expanded is a foundational text offering readers a thorough introduction to contemporary performance design, both in and beyond the theatre. It examines the potential of the visual, spatial, technological, material and environmental aspects of performance to create and shape performative encounters. It analyses examples of scenography as sites of imaginative exchange and transformative experience and it discusses the social, political and ethical dimensions of performance design. The international range of contributors includes Arnold Aronson, Christopher Baugh, Maaike Bleeker, Thea Brejzek, Ethel Brooks, Jane Collins, Stephen Di Benedetto, Dorita Hannah, Kathleen Irwin, Marcela I. Oteíza, David Shearing, Nebojša Tabački and Melissa Trimingham. The extended introduction by Joslin McKinney and Scott Palmer defines the characteristics of 21st-century scenography and examines the scope and potentials of this new field. Across five sections, the volume provides examples and case studies which richly illustrate the scope of contemporary scenographic practice and the various ways in which it is used in global cultural contexts. These include mainstream theatre practice, experimental theatre, installation and live art, performance in the city, large-scale events and popular entertainments, and performances by and for specific communities. -- from back cover.