Ecologies of Precarity in Twenty-First Century Theatre: Politics, Affect, Responsibility

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Presenting a rigorous critical investigation of the reinvigoration of the political in contemporary British theatre, Ecologies of Precarity in Twenty-First Century Theatre provides a fresh understanding of how theatre has engaged with precarity, affect, risk, intimacy, care and relationality in recent times. The study makes a compelling case for reading precarity as a 'sticky' theatrical trope which carries the potential to re-animate our understanding of identity politics and responsibility for the lives of Others in an age of uncertainty. Approaching precarity as an ecology cutting across various practices, themes and aesthetics, the book features a comprehensive selection of theatre examples staged in the UK since the 1990s. Works by debbie tucker green, Alistair McDowall, Complicite, Simon Stephens, Stan's Cafe, Mike Bartlett, Caryl Churchill, The Paper Birds, and Belarus Free Theatre are put in dialogue with interdisciplinary feminist vocabularies developed by Judith Butler, Sara Ahmed, Lauren Berlant and Isabell Lorey. In focusing on areas such as children and youth at risk, human rights, environmental ethics and the politics of debt, the study makes a vital contribution to the burgeoning field of politics and theatre in the 21st century. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Series......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 11 Introduction......Page 14 Precarity, affect, responsibility......Page 16 Precarity, theatre, politics......Page 23 Mapping Ecologies of Precarity......Page 25 1 Promises of Happiness and Cruel Optimisms: Theatre in the 1990s......Page 30 Cruel Britannia, affect and intimate politics......Page 32 On ow(n)ing: Mark Ravenhill, Shopping and Fucking......Page 38 Cruel attachments: Phyllis Nagy, Never Land......Page 46 Fairy tales for adults: Caryl Churchill, The Skriker......Page 52 Conclusion......Page 59 2 Children and Young People at Risk......Page 62 Children and young people on the British stage......Page 63 From ‘childhood crisis’ to ‘masculinity in crisis’: Mike Bartlett, My Child......Page 65 Feeling normal: Dennis Kelly, Debris and Philip Ridley, Mercury Fur......Page 71 Race and vulnerability: Mojisola Adebayo, Desert Boy......Page 78 Ecologies of pain and grief: Simon Stephens, Sea Wall and debbie tucker green, random......Page 83 Conclusion......Page 88 3 ‘A Glimpse into Some Other World’: Imagining Slow Violence in the Anthropocene......Page 90 Theatrical challenges and anxious hopes in the age of the Anthropocene......Page 93 Politics of dystopia: Caryl Churchill, Far Away and Alistair McDowall, X......Page 96 Vital materialisms: Stan’s Cafe, Of All the People in All the World......Page 104 Border-crossings: Transport Theatre, The Edge......Page 109 Intimacy and proximity: Complicite, The Encounter......Page 115 Conclusion......Page 123 4 Framing Human Rights......Page 124 Human rights, spectatorship and theatre......Page 126 Impressions of terror: Dennis Kelly, Osama the Hero......Page 129 Ambivalent ethics: debbie tucker green, hang......Page 139 Politics of freedom and dissent: Belarus Free Theatre, Trash Cuisine and DV8, Can We Talk about This?......Page 146 Conclusion......Page 160 5 (Dis)possession, Debt and Economies of Value......Page 162 Neo-liberal economies and the theatre maker as precarious worker......Page 164 Debt, value and justice: Stan’s Cafe, The Just Price of Flowers......Page 170 Waste, value and white masculinity: Leo Butler, Boy......Page 174 Female dispossessions: Clean Break, Joanne and The Paper Birds, Broke......Page 178 On protest: Theatre Uncut......Page 187 Conclusion......Page 194 Afterword: On Hoping......Page 196 Notes......Page 200 References......Page 215 Index......Page 242