Theatricality in theatre, performance and beyond

Abstract

The dissertation analyses theatricality as a conceptual and practical phenomenon. It will delve into how theatricality was conceptualised over the years, especially vis-à-vis its intertwining with performativity even before the turn of the twentieth century. The dissertation, which will also consider anti-theatricality, proposes a reformulation of what theatricality can encompass within the wider twenty-first-century context. Since the mid twentieth century, the concept of performance has been applied beyond the conventional theatre event. While keeping in perspective how the concept of theatricality has fluctuated within the conventional theatre context as it transpires in certain key moments in theatre history, the presence of theatricality will be highlighted and discussed beyond the theatrical event. Accordingly, the dissertation analyses diverse performance events as case studies, including theatre productions, popular events, rituals, and concerts. It argues that theatricality can be discussed and understood as intended, unintentional or perceived, implicit or overt, both from the perceiver’s and receiver’s perspective. This is contrasted with how the concept can be identified within the context of the quotidian. Such a reformulation of theatricality necessarily adopts wide parameters regarding what the term can encompass, so as to reflect the broader twenty-first-century perspective of performance and the quotidian.