This book argues that dramaturgy makes things visible and does so in two distinct and interrelating ways: creative processes and formal elements of performance are rendered visible and readable; and performance dramaturgy becomes an expanded practice in which performance is a locus for creating wide-ranging events and activities.

This exploration defines dramaturgy as a perceptibly transforming agency in the construction, presentation and reception of contemporary performance; and it shows how contemporary performance has an intrinsic dramaturgical aspect whose proliferation of dramaturgical practices has led to a far-reaching reinvention of what contemporary theatre is. In doing so, this book deals with a careful selection of performance practices, including theatrical adaptations, new media dramaturgy, contemporary dance, installation-performance, postdramatic theatre, visionary works by auteurs, and revivals of well-known stage shows.

This study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theater studies, performance studies, cultural studies, curating, and dance scholarship.

Peter Eckersall is a professor in performance studies at the Graduate Centre, City University of New York. His research interests include Japanese performance, and dramaturgy and contemporary performance. Recent publications include Okada Toshiki and Japanese Theatre (coedited, 2021), Curating Dramaturgies (coedited, Routledge 2021), and New Media Dramaturgy: Performance, Media, and New-Materialism (coauthored, 2017). He is cofounder and dramaturg of the Melbourne-based performance group Not Yet It’s Difficult.