Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies
About the Book Series
This series is our home for cutting-edge, upper-level scholarly studies and edited collections. Considering theatre and performance alongside topics such as religion, politics, gender, race, ecology, and the avant-garde, titles are characterized by dynamic interventions into established subjects and innovative studies on emerging topics.
Always in the Making: A Practical Philosophy of Ensemble Improvisation
1st Edition
By Jennifer Kayle
April 21, 2027
Always in the Making offers a philosophy of improvisation forged from the lived problems of ensemble co-creativity. Not merely theorizing improvisation from the outside, this book also writes from within it, blending vivid description, precise gestures, and lyric passages that distil its complexity...
Ageing Onstage: Theatre and Creative Ageing
1st Edition
By Georgia Grace Bowers
April 06, 2027
Ageing Onstage is a powerful exploration of how Applied Theatre with older adults challenges ageism and builds resilience in the face of ageist-induced shame. Drawing on interviews with leading Creative Ageing practitioners, firsthand accounts from older adults who have taken part in Applied ...
Oral History, Archives, Site-Specific Theatre: The Genazzano Project
1st Edition
By Donatella Orecchia
April 06, 2027
Oral History, Archives, Site-Specific Theatre presents an innovative approach to theatre historiography, exploring the dynamic relationship between oral history, archives, and memory through the study of the Genazzano Project, developed by Carlo Quartucci and Carla Tatò between 1981 and 1984. An ...
Embodied Action: Women on Psychophysical Acting, Grotowski-Inspired Approaches
1st Edition
Edited
By Kate Kohler Amory
March 23, 2027
Embodied Action traces the powerful legacy of Grotowski's psychophysical actor training through the voices of three generations of women practitioners in North America. This groundbreaking collection documents how women have inherited, practiced, and transformed Grotowski-inspired techniques since ...
The Theatre of Dreams and the 1989 Polish Breakthrough: Flying on Stilts
1st Edition
By Barbara Świąder-Puchowska, Tomasz Wisniewski
March 18, 2027
This volume offers the first English-language study of Teatr Snów, one of Poland's most experienced and visually striking street theatre companies. Established in Gdańsk in 1986 during the turbulent final years of communist rule, Teatr Snów developed a distinctive oneiric aesthetic that reflects ...
Polish Theatre after #MeToo: New Discourses and (Un)doings
1st Edition
Edited
By Marta Keil, Monika Kwaśniewska-Mikuła, Kasia Lech, Katarzyna Waligóra
March 16, 2027
Polish Theatre after #MeToo examines how violence, power, and responsibility transform artistic practice and institutions, positioning Polish theatre as a lens for wider reflection across contemporary performance cultures. This provocative collection features critical essays, dialogues, and ...
Gorgon in the Blue Room: Diamanda Galás and the Divine Monster of Grief
1st Edition
By Luca Zanchi
December 21, 2026
Gorgon in the Blue Room explores how Diamanda Galás transforms terror into a ritual act of sonic reprisal. This groundbreaking study examines Galás’ creative process through the lens of mimetic apotropaism—the practice of embodying horror to deflect it. Drawing on extensive conversations with Galás...
Performing Pain: An Actor’s Guide to Creating Dynamic Depictions of Injury, Illness and Other Impediments
1st Edition
By Jo Ann Mendelson
December 07, 2026
Performing Pain deconstructs the complex art of portraying injury, illness, intoxication, and death into manageable, teachable components. This hands-on guide explores essential performance elements—breath control, movement vocabulary, vocal technique, and psychological authenticity—providing ...
Experimental Xiqu Performances Endure: A Soft Touch of the Wounds with Interweaving Aesthetics
1st Edition
By Lin Chen
November 24, 2026
This book offers a detailed, comprehensive, and theoretically grounded study of experimental xiqu performances that have taken place in recent decades across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and online platforms. Situating these performances within their specific socio-political contexts and ...
The Inherent Potential in Art Performance: To Critically Challenge Art Traditions in Scenes of Love and Sexual Desire
1st Edition
By Iris Julian
November 24, 2026
This book spotlights artworks and art performances whose common denominator is the theme of (self-)representation of artists in the 'woman' category in scenes of love and sexuality. Pursuing the research practice of deep drilling, this study presents various methodologies and research ...
Irish Shakespeares: Gender, Sexuality, and Performance in the Twenty-First Century
1st Edition
By Emer McHugh
October 30, 2026
Irish Shakespeares explores performances, adaptations, and appropriations of Shakespeare in Irish theatrical contexts, and how they articulate concerns and conversations about gender and sexual politics. This book is the first full-length study to investigate Irish uses and appropriations in ...
The Obscene Humour and Political Satire in Shadow Theatre: Cases from China, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and the Ottoman Tradition
1st Edition
Edited
By Peri Efe
October 26, 2026
This book delves into the fascinating interplay of bawdy humour and political satire, two core elements of shadow theatre across diverse cultural and historical contexts. Through eight meticulously researched chapters, the book explores the evolution and significance of bawdy humour and political ...