Marvin Carlson, City University of New York Theatre, as distinct from other dramatic media, is essentially a relationship between performer, spectator, and the space in which both come together. Space in Performance examines the way theatre buildings function to frame the performance event, the organization of audience and practitioner spaces within the building, the nature of the stage and the modes of representation it facilitates, and the relationship between the real space of the theatre and the fictional places that are evoked. The book's theoretical and methodological framework is both semiotic and phenomenological, based in part on Anne Ubersfeld's seminal work, direct observation of the rehearsal process, and documentation and analysis of professional performances. The situation of the academic observer in the rehearsal room has much in common with that of the ethnographer in the field, and contemporary ethnographic practice provides a third theoretical and methodological perspective to this study.
Performance studies is an emerging discipline, and it is still evolving appropriate methodologies.
The multifaceted approach adopted here will engage theatre and performance studies specialists, those concerned with modes of representation in contemporary culture, and students of theatre, semiotics, architecture, set design, acting, andperformance theory. The book also offers a great deal to theatre practitioners and spectatorc interested in deepening their appreciation of theatre art. It is accessibly written, and the theory always emerges from descriptions of practice. Gay McAuley is Director of the Centre for Performance Studies and Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Sydney.