Act of violence or show of strength? In a world of spectacular suffering and power plays – large and small – what is theatre's role in protecting human dignity? With its impassioned plays, inspired activism and outspoken artists, the theatre has long provided a venue for promoting and practising human rights; but is this always to the good? Today the relationship between theatre and human rights is not only vital, but complex and contested. Drawing on an international range of examples, this short, sharp and timely book outlines the key features of the debate and offers a critical take on where it should go next.
'...Palgrave Macmillan's excellent new outward-looking, eclectic Theatre& ... series.These short books, written by leading theatre academics, do much to reintroduce some of the brightest names in theatre academia to the general reader. Plus, the matrix of references to bigger books soon builds quite a comprehensive catch-up reading list for those of us who graduated more than a decade ago and are interested in where contemporary thinking is at...'
- Guardian Theatre Blog, September 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/10/theatre-critics-academics-artists
'Fluent, provocative and well paced, it will make an excellent addition to the series' - James Thompson, Professor of Applied and Social Theatre, University of Manchester, UK
'With an intense display of knowledge and expertise, Paul Rae weaves a delicately precise web, connecting the dots between the theatre and human rights, and creates a tapestry of learning that begins with Antigone and extends all the way to contemporary events.' - Rabih Mroué
Series Editors' Preface
Foreword
Introduction: Against Intuition
PART I: The Human Right to Theatre?
Rights Talk
Theatre and the Subject of Human Rights
Theatre as an Object of Human Rights
PART II: Thinking Theatre and Human Rights
….all too Human
Paralegal Performance
Theatre, Culture and Human Rights
Lucky Me! The Right to Rights
PART III: Theatres of Cruelty
Conclusion: Unaccommodated Man
Further Reading
Index
PAUL RAE is Assistant Professor on the Theatre Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore.
For further information about the Theatre& series, including forthcoming and published titles and biographies of the series editors, please visit the Theatre& series webpage at http://www.palgrave.com/theatre/tand.asp
Description
Act of violence or show of strength? In a world of spectacular suffering and power plays – large and small – what is theatre's role in protecting human dignity? With its impassioned plays, inspired activism and outspoken artists, the theatre has long provided a venue for promoting and practising human rights; but is this always to the good? Today the relationship between theatre and human rights is not only vital, but complex and contested. Drawing on an international range of examples, this short, sharp and timely book outlines the key features of the debate and offers a critical take on where it should go next.
Reviews
'...Palgrave Macmillan's excellent new outward-looking, eclectic Theatre& ... series.These short books, written by leading theatre academics, do much to reintroduce some of the brightest names in theatre academia to the general reader. Plus, the matrix of references to bigger books soon builds quite a comprehensive catch-up reading list for those of us who graduated more than a decade ago and are interested in where contemporary thinking is at...'
- Guardian Theatre Blog, September 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/10/theatre-critics-academics-artists
'Fluent, provocative and well paced, it will make an excellent addition to the series' - James Thompson, Professor of Applied and Social Theatre, University of Manchester, UK
'With an intense display of knowledge and expertise, Paul Rae weaves a delicately precise web, connecting the dots between the theatre and human rights, and creates a tapestry of learning that begins with Antigone and extends all the way to contemporary events.' - Rabih Mroué
Contents
Series Editors' Preface
Foreword
Introduction: Against Intuition
PART I: The Human Right to Theatre?
Rights Talk
Theatre and the Subject of Human Rights
Theatre as an Object of Human Rights
PART II: Thinking Theatre and Human Rights
….all too Human
Paralegal Performance
Theatre, Culture and Human Rights
Lucky Me! The Right to Rights
PART III: Theatres of Cruelty
Conclusion: Unaccommodated Man
Further Reading
Index
Authors
PAUL RAE is Assistant Professor on the Theatre Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore.
Series Website
For further information about the Theatre& series, including forthcoming and published titles and biographies of the series editors, please visit the Theatre& series webpage at http://www.palgrave.com/theatre/tand.asp
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