Abstract: This essay offers a formal and intellectual history of Black minstrelsy, the now-controversial theatrical practice from the 1870s to 1890s that was the most influential outlet for the development of African American performance culture before the twentieth century. Black minstrelsy canalized the aesthetic, ideological, and spatial dimensions of what the essay calls “The Black Below,” which

Abstract: This essay theorizes the architectural history of Ghana’s National Theatre Movement as the material instantiation of national culture. By attending to the architectural trajectory of the national theatre, it explores how the burgeoning state used the edifice to construct a national identity both rooted in a cultural past and representative of their aspirations for a national future by mobilizing

Abstract: This essay explores the problematics of contemporary political performance through the plays of Guillermo Calderón. In particular, it seeks to account for the ways that Calderón’s theatrical aesthetics emerge from his negotiations with the material circumstances and institutional supports that condition his work. Tracing the history of the theatrical field and cultural policy in Chile, the

Abstract: This essay explores the significance of choosing to look/away in the theatre by analyzing the spectacle of suffering in two interpretations of Hedda Gabler’s demise. It focuses on the suicide sequence at Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco, directed by Yury Urnov, and compares it with a secondary example: Ivo van Hove's interpretation of the same sequence at the National Theatre, London

Abstract: An intriguing, previously uncommented upon detail from the theatre archives suggests that US vaudeville star Josephine Gassman may have had New Zealand children performing in her “pickaninny chorus” in 1912: a description of the child performers as “New Zealanders.” Could these be Māori children? If not, why include such a detail? What are the cultural and performance studies implications

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Last Gasp (WFH) by Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver Heidi Łucja Liedke LAST GASP (WFH). Written and performed by Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver. Directed by Lois Weaver. Movement by Morgan Thorson. Video design and editing by Nao Nagai. Sound design by Vivian Stoll. La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York City. Streamed, December

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Seagull on the Sims 4 by Celine Song Alisa Zhulina THE SEAGULL ON THE SIMS 4. Adapted from Anton Chekhov. Written and performed by Celine Song. New York Theatre Workshop, New York City. Livestreamed, October 27–28, 2020. The Russian writer and doctor Anton Chekhov lived a life marked by infectious diseases and health crises

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Seven Deadly Sins by Hilary Bettis et al. Horacio Sierra SEVEN DEADLY SINS. By Hilary Bettis, Nilo Cruz, Moisés Kaufman, Rogelio Martinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Carmen Pelaez, and Aurin Squire. Directed by Michel Hausmann. 1100 Block of Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. December 4, 2020. On a day when the US Centers for Disease Control

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Under Presents: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Alicia Corts THE UNDER PRESENTS: THE TEMPEST. By William Shakespeare. Directed by Tara Ahmadinejad. Tender Claws and PieHole, The Under Presents app for the Oculus Quest, Virtual. July 26, 2020. While several companies have experimented with virtual reality (VR) performance

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl L. West Chloe Johnston FANNIE LOU HAMER, SPEAK ON IT! By Cheryl L. West. Directed by Henry Godinez. Goodman Theatre, Chicago. October 6, 2020. The audience arrived at the performance to find the lawn cordoned off into separate sections. People sat on blankets and lawn chairs facing

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Sex and Consequences by Isabella Rossellini Shelby Brewster SEX AND CONSEQUENCES. Created and performed by Isabella Rossellini. Directed by Paul Magid. Livestreamed, October 18, 2020. In Isabella Rossellini’s short film “Praying Mantis,” the actress dons a green bodysuit with extra legs and wings attached. She describes her

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Enrich Festival Winter Phong ENRICH FESTIVAL. Herts Inclusive Theatre, Watford, UK. Online, September 5–6, 2020. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, theatre companies sought ways to engage persons with learning and cognitive disabilities. Companies have mainly focused on audience initiatives relying upon relaxed performances

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: We’re Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee Benjamin Gillespie WE’RE GONNA DIE. By Young Jean Lee. Directed and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. Second Stage Theater, New York City. February 12, 2020. “No one is immune from tragedy.” Perhaps there is no other moment in recent history where this sentiment would ring as true. As it

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe Jared Strange THE WOLVES. By Sarah DeLappe. Directed by Nell Bang-Jensen. Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia. Livestreamed, December 14, 2020. There were times when Philadelphia Theatre Company’s (PTC’s) The Wolves could be quite overwhelming. The production was streamed into homes everywhere

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck Natka Bianchini WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME. By Heidi Schreck. Directed by Marielle Heller. Amazon Prime Video, October 16, 2020. What the Constitution Means to Me, Heidi Schreck’s mostly solo show about her experience as a teenager giving speeches on the US Constitution

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare and the Politics of Nostalgia: Negotiating the Memory of Elizabeth I on the Jacobean Stage by Yuichi Tsukada Kavita Mudan Finn SHAKESPEARE AND THE POLITICS OF NOSTALGIA: NEGOTIATING THE MEMORY OF ELIZABETH I ON THE JACOBEAN STAGE. By Yuichi Tsukada. London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2019; pp. 232. It is generally

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Mixed Faith and Shared Feeling: Theater in Post-Reformation London by Musa Gurnis Chloe Kathleen Preedy MIXED FAITH AND SHARED FEELING: THEATER IN POST-REFORMATION LONDON. By Musa Gurnis. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018; pp. 272. In Mixed Faith and Shared Feeling: Theater in Post-Reformation London, Musa

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Interchangeable Parts: Acting, Industry, and Technology in US Theater by Victor Holtcamp Christopher Grobe INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS: ACTING, INDUSTRY, AND TECHNOLOGY IN US THEATER. By Victor Holtcamp. Theater: Theory/Text/Performance series. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2019; pp. 360. Scholarly monographs on acting

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Performing Dream Homes: Theater and the Spatial Politics of the Domestic Sphere ed. by Emily Klein, Jennifer-Scott Mobley, and Jill Stevenson Dorothy Chansky PERFORMING DREAM HOMES: THEATER AND THE SPATIAL POLITICS OF THE DOMESTIC SPHERE. Edited by Emily Klein, Jennifer-Scott Mobley, and Jill Stevenson. Cham, Switzerland:

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Theatre of Thomas Kilroy: No Absolutes by José Lanters Julieann Veronica Ulin THE THEATRE OF THOMAS KILROY: NO ABSOLUTES. By José Lanters. Cork: Cork University Press, 2018; pp. 288. When Thomas Kilroy’s The Death and Resurrection of Mr. Roche premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1968, it was identified by one reviewer

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare in the Theatre: The National Theatre, 1963–1975: Olivier and Hall by Robert Shaughnessy Jennifer Barnes SHAKESPEARE IN THE THEATRE: THE NATIONAL THEATRE, 1963–1975: OLIVIER AND HALL. By Robert Shaughnessy. Shakespeare in the Theatre series. London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2018; pp. 264. Robert Shaughnessy’s

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: America in the Round: Capital, Race, and Nation at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage by Donatella Galella Harvey Young AMERICA IN THE ROUND: CAPITAL, RACE, AND NATION AT WASHINGTON, DC’S ARENA STAGE. By Donatella Galella. Studies in Theatre History and Culture series. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2019; pp. 314. There are

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Transgenerational Remembrance: Performance and the Asia-Pacific War in Contemporary Japan by Jessica Nakamura David Jortner TRANSGENERATIONAL REMEMBRANCE: PERFORMANCE AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC WAR IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN. By Jessica Nakamura. Performance Works series. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2020; pp. 240. Perhaps

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Witness Onstage: Documentary Theatre in Twenty-First-Century Russia by Molly Flynn Marc A. Robinson WITNESS ONSTAGE: DOCUMENTARY THEATRE IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY RUSSIA. By Molly Flynn. Theatre: Theory– Practice–Performance series. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2019; pp. 200. The appearance of this book is a welcome

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Nomadic Theatre: Mobilizing Theory and Practice on the European Stage by Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink Silvija Jestrovic NOMADIC THEATRE: MOBILIZING THEORY AND PRACTICE ON THE EUROPEAN STAGE. By Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink. Thinking through Theatre series. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2019; pp. 224. Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink argues

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Performance Constellations: Networks of Protest and Activism in Latin America by Marcela A. Fuentes Gad Guterman PERFORMANCE CONSTELLATIONS: NETWORKS OF PROTEST AND ACTIVISM IN LATIN AMERICA. By Marcela A. Fuentes. Theater: Theory/Text/Performance series. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2019; pp. 178. Performance

Abstract: In the 1940s, organizers in the struggle for Black freedom, eager to distinguish themselves from the pacifist movement, began to introduce “experiments” in desegregation into their activities. Inspired by Gandhi and his interpreters, these actionists (as they called themselves) discovered and implemented the principles and practices of direct action that would later be used on a broad scale

Abstract: Two recent performances, Demian DinéYazhí’s An Infected Sunset (2018) and Karen Finley’s Written in Sand (1992–ongoing), address issues related to HIV/AIDS from the perspective of an ongoing pandemic that is interconnected with other forms of structural negligence and personal mourning. Whereas a growing number of early AIDS crisis revivals and restagings have mythologized the climate of

Abstract: Czechs have animated the inanimate onstage through puppets, objects, and robots (R.U.R.) for centuries. More recently, a generation of theatre-makers has reversed that traditional imaginary, exploring possibilities within human-becoming-object that engage Peter Schumann’s assertion that “[o]bject exists only because we are deceived into being subject.” Through digital and material means,

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin Manuel-Miranda Patricia Herrera HAMILTON: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL. Book, music, and lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda. Directed by Thomas Kail. Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City. Disney Plus, streaming, July 4, 2020. Since its off-Broadway debut at the New York Public Theater in early 2015

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Good Standing by Matthew Greene Catherine Heiner GOOD STANDING. By Matthew Greene. Directed by Sam Allen. Next Step Theatre Company, Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival, Salt Lake City. August 9, 2020. Is God the only one who can show love? Depending on the individual or the organization asked, this question inspires a multitude

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry Dana A. Williams LES BLANCS. By Lorraine Hansberry. Directed by Yael Farber. National Theatre at Home, London. July 8, 2020. For every revival of a canonical play, an original script goes unproduced, and the urgent need to see meaningful dramatizations of the contemporary moment and its challenges

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Circle Jerk by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley Trevor Boffone CIRCLE JERK. By Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley. Co-directed by Rory Pelsue and dramaturg Ariel Sibert. Produced by Jeremy O. Harris. Fake Friends, Theater Mitu, Brooklyn, New York. October 21, 2020. If pandemic theatre has had three stages, then Michael Breslin

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Amen Corner by James Baldwin Isaiah Matthew Wooden THE AMEN CORNER. By James Baldwin. Directed by Whitney White. Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. February 28, 2020. Often heralded as one of the most formidable and influential American novelists, essayists, and public intellectuals of the twentieth century

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Godspell by John-Michael Tebelak Dan Venning GODSPELL. Conceived and originally directed by John-Michael Tebelak. Music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed by Alan Filderman. Berkshire Theatre Group, Outside Under a Tent at the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. August 15, 2020. The Berkshire Theatre Group’s

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Make Me Stop Smoking by Rabih Mroué Matthew Randle-Bent MAKE ME STOP SMOKING. By Rabih Mroué. Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, online performance. May 23, 2020. Lola Arias’s “My Documents,” which started in Buenos Aires in 2012, is a program through which artists produce live performances based upon their personal archives: idiosyncratic

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Reinar después de morir by Luis Vélez de Guevara Esther Fernández REINAR DESPUÉS DE MORIR. By Luis Vélez de Guevara. Directed by Ignacio García and Pepa Pedroche. Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico/Companhia Teatro de Almada, Teatro de la Comedia, Madrid. January 10, 2020. Reference to a corpse queen triggers a call-back

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: One Room: A World Revealed by Andy Bragen et al. Jeanmarie Higgins ONE ROOM: A WORLD REVEALED. By Andy Bragen et al. Directed by Knud Adams et al. Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, Weston, Vermont. Streamed August 7, 2020. In Look at the Walls by Charly Evon Simpson, the tenth of fourteen short, one-person plays that comprise

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez Eric Jorgensen THE INHERITANCE. By Matthew Lopez. Directed by Stephen Daldry. Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City. January 8, 2020. One may as well begin with waiting in line to enter the theatre. Volunteers for the Buttigieg campaign seeking signatures of New York voters to ensure Mayor

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Eraser Mountain by Toshiki Okada Sarah Lucie ERASER MOUNTAIN. Written and directed by Toshiki Okada. Scenography by Teppei Kaneuji. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, in association with chelfitsch, New York City. February 28, 2020. Eraser Mountain does not make for a fun or pleasurable night at the theatre, nor does

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Under Presents by Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzaro Devon Baur THE UNDER PRESENTS. Directed by Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzaro. Tender Claws/Piehole, virtual reality. Reviewer viewed various performances, February–July 2020. During the COVID-19 quarantine, audiences were looking for ways to gather and The Under

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Show Me a Good Time by Sean Patten et al. Daniel Larlham SHOW ME A GOOD TIME. Devised and performed by Sean Patten et al. A Gob Squad production, presented by the Hebbel am Ufer Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse, livestreamed from Berlin. June 20, 2020. “Everybody needs a good time. That’s what all the songs tell us. Nobody

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Visual Experiences in Cinquecento Theatrical Spaces by Javier Berzal de Dios Robert Henke VISUAL EXPERIENCES IN CINQUECENTO THEATRICAL SPACES. By Javier Berzal de Dios. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2019; pp. 216. Javier Berzal de Dios’s excellent Visual Experiences in Cinquecento Theatrical Spaces persuasively rebuts

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare and Queer Theory by Melissa E. Sanchez Daniel Juan Gil SHAKESPEARE AND QUEER THEORY. By Melissa E. Sanchez. Arden Shakespeare and Theory series. London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2019; pp. 228. This book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Although, like other books in the Arden Shakespeare and Theory

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: David Garrick and the Mediation of Celebrity by Leslie Ritchie Julia H. Fawcett DAVID GARRICK AND THE MEDIATION OF CELEBRITY. By Leslie Ritchie. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019; pp. 314. In the mid-1960s, the publication of The London Stage—a listing of every performance known to have been produced by a licensed

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Deborah and Her Sisters: How One Nineteenth-Century Melodrama and a Host of Celebrated Actresses Put Judaism on the World Stage by Jonathan M. Hess Meri-Jane Rochelson DEBORAH AND HER SISTERS: HOW ONE NINETEENTH-CENTURY MELODRAMA AND A HOST OF CELEBRATED ACTRESSES PUT JUDAISM ON THE WORLD STAGE. By Jonathan M. Hess. Jewish

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Spectral Characters: Genre and Materiality on The Modern Stage by Sarah Balkin Katherine Biers SPECTRAL CHARACTERS: GENRE AND MATERIALITY ON THE MODERN STAGE. By Sarah Balkin. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2019; pp. 198. The word “character” can describe a person, a room, or an article of clothing. As Sarah Balkin

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Unlimited Action: The Performance of Extremity in the 1970s by Dominic Johnson Ivan Bujan UNLIMITED ACTION: THE PERFORMANCE OF EXTREMITY IN THE 1970s. By Dominic Johnson. Theatre: Theory–Practice–Performance series. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2019; pp. 232. The bodies we inhabit are contested sites of inquiry

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations ed. by Dominic McHugh Jeff Godsey THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF MUSICAL THEATRE SCREEN ADAPTATIONS. Edited by Dominic McHugh. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019; pp. 674. Although the film version of Cats arrived too late for consideration in The Oxford Handbook of Musical

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Performing Architectures: Projects, Practices, Pedagogies ed. by Andrew Filmer and Juliet Rufford David Calder PERFORMING ARCHITECTURES: PROJECTS, PRACTICES, PEDAGOGIES. Edited by Andrew Filmer and Juliet Rufford. Methuen Drama Engage series. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2018; pp. 256. Performing Architectures stages

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare in the Theatre: Trevor Nunn by Russell Jackson Cary M. Mazer SHAKESPEARE IN THE THEATRE: TREVOR NUNN. By Russell Jackson. Shakespeare in the Theatre series. London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2018; pp. 264. In a series of concise and thoroughly documented chapters, Russell Jackson, in his book on Trevor Nunn’s

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Theatre and Films of Conor McPherson: Conspicuous Communities by Eamonn Jordan Susan Cannon Harris THE THEATRE AND FILMS OF CONOR McPHERSON: CONSPICUOUS COMMUNITIES. By Eamonn Jordan. Critical Companions series. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2019; pp. 248. What exactly does one want from a “critical companion”? That

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Editorial Comment:The Global South? E.J. Westlake Originally, I had envisioned that this issue would take up the concept of the Global South, to showcase a sample of current scholarship centered on theatre and performance in the Global South, but also to interrogate the term and its widespread use. I was thrilled to have a few very fine

Abstract: This essay delves into the materialities of infection through an exploration of two dance/theatre works created by Congolese theatre artist and choreographer Faustin Linyekula and his company Studios Kabako: Dinozord: The Dialogue Series IIII (2006) and In Search of Dinozord (2012). The Dinozord series serves as a multifaceted homage to Linyekula's childhood friend and fellow artist Richard

Abstract: This essay explores the history of a form of theatrical performance in Senegal used to transmit the founding story of the Senegalese Sufi order known as the Muridiyya. Although absent from the extensive scholarship on Murid cultural and expressive forms, this innovative performance practice proves remarkable in its staged manifestation of the baraka, or spiritual essence, of the order's founding

Abstract: This essay traces how the transoceanic traffics of early blackface minstrelsy forged entanglements among the early blackface figure "Jim Crow," the US American racial formation of "Jim Crow," and the Anglophone imperial formations of the Global South. Although blackface minstrel scholarship has taken the form to be axiomatically US American and national in origin, the essay maps the popularity

Abstract: This essay uses the concept of g/locality to refine the overbroad application of the Global South to explore links between performance in Chicago, whose racial segregation prompted anti-apartheid South African exiles in the 1980s to call the city "Johannesburg by the Lake," and Johannesburg, whose combination of innovation and lawlessness has inspired writers from the 1950s to the present

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Festivalizing Down Under:Unsettling the Contact Zone Ric Knowles (bio) Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand are key contact zones between the Global North and South. Geographically located in the Southern Hemisphere, their dominant, settler populations are culturally of the North, and their major theatre festivals have been struggling with

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: It's True, It's True, It's True: Artemisia on Trialby Breach Theatre Ellen Mackay IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE: ARTEMISIA ON TRIAL. By Breach Theatre(Billy Barret, Dorothy Allen-Pickard, Ellice Stevens). Directed by Billy Barrett. Streaming version commissioned by The Space and staged by Billy Barrett and Rhodri Huw. Accessed

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Eating Shakespeare: Cultural Anthropophagy as Global Methodology ed. by Anne Sophie Refskou, Marcel Alvaro de Amorim, and Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho Lisa Ulevich EATING SHAKESPEARE: CULTURAL ANTHROPOPHAGY AS GLOBAL METHODOLOGY. Edited by Anne Sophie Refskou, Marcel Alvaro de Amorim, and Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho. Global