Carnival Texts (Book)

Three Plays for Ensemble Performance

By James MacDonald Series edited by Roberta Mock

This book comprises three related dramatic works, all of which use Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of carnival, a literary style designed to subvert dominant assumptions through chaos and humour. The texts blur the distinction between spectator and performer in an exploration of physical, moral and cultural upheaval in a postmodern age.

Series: Playtext

Edition

Carnival Texts comprises three related dramatic works, all of which have as their point of departure Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of carnival, a literary style designed to subvert dominant assumptions through chaos and humour. Making creative use of post-Brechtian performance theory, these texts blur the distinction between spectator and performer in a fascinating exploration of physical, moral and cultural upheaval in a postmodern age. Performance theory is crucial to understanding how performance affects collective understanding, and this book will be of interest to a broad range of students of drama and theatre.

James MacDonald is a playwright whose work is regularly staged in the United Kingdom. He is an honorary fellow of the drama department at the University of Exeter.

Preface

PART ONE: TEXTS

Strangers to Paradise

Brides, Bombs and Boardrooms

Fete

PART TWO: ESSAYS

Fear into Laughter – James MacDonald

Bodies in Pain: Realism and the Subversion of Spectacle in Brides, Bombs and Boardrooms – John Lutz

Blowing Up the Nation: Vulnerability and Violence in James MacDonald's Post-national England – Jessica O'Hara

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