Theatre’s Heterotopias

By: Joanne Tompkins

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Synopsis: Theatre's Heterotopias articulates a new methodology for interpreting a space (including architectural, narrative, imaginative, and imaginary) in theatre and performance. A heterotopia is an 'alternative space' that is distinguished from that actual world, but that resonates with it. The value in applying heterotopia to theatre is that in performance, we can actually witness how else space and place might be constituted: it is the point of comparison of what does occur against what else might transpire such that the 'unreal' spaces that comprise a theatrical experience have the capacity to elicit concrete effects beyond its walls. A heterotopia is a technique for exploring theatrical space that affords a better understanding of the theatrical experience, the context in which performance takes place, and the power and knowledge that shape its socio-political context. The book's case studies include site-specificity, selected productions from the National Theatre of Scotland and Shakespeare's Globe, and multimedia performance.