Theater of War and Exile
Subtitle: Twelve Playwrights, Directors and Performers from Eastern Europe and Israel
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9780786473120
Subjects: Theater, europe; Israeli drama, history and criticism; Violence in literature
Description: In what ways does political trauma influence the art arising from it? Is there an aesthetic of war and exile in theatrical works that emerge from such experiences? Are there cultural markers defining such works from areas like Eastern Europe and Israel? This book considers these questions in an examination of plays, performances and theater artists that speak from a place of political violence and displacement. The author's critical inquiry covers a variety of theatrical experimentations, including Brechtian distancing, black humor, pastiche, surreal and hyper-real imagery, reversed chronologies and disrupted narratives. Drawing on postmodern theories and performance studies as well as interviews and personal statements from the artists discussed, this study explores the transformative power of the theater arts and their function as catalysts for social change, healing and remembrance. -- from back cover.