The Philosophy of Theatre

What is it about?

This article is a critical survey of recent literature coming from the Anglo-American or analytic philosophy of theatre. The article discusses the nature of the relationship between philosophy and theatre and themes such as the relationship between text and performance, concepts of 'fidelity to the text', authorship, and the definition of theatre in relation to plays such as Hamlet. The critique is developed with reference to the work of the contemporary French thinker, François Laruelle. Through Laruelle it points toward an alternative to the paradigm of application that it suggests has dominated the analytic philosophy of theatre thus far.

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Why is it important?

Recent years have seen a growth of research in the philosophy of theatre. This is the first article to provide an analysis of key texts from the Anglo-American philosophy of theatre. The article contributes to current debates around the future of philosophical aesthetics and how philosophy conceives its role in relation to 'objects' such as theatre and performance.