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198 Books Homans tellsas astorymovingforward, providingdancehistorywith atelos. Ifoundthefirst early modernperiod. What Schollbrilliantlypresentedasatheoryofretrospective modernism which itselfpayshomagetothe courtofLouisXIV phy. According toScholl, Balanchine’sApollo(1928)nodstoPetipa’s Sleeping Beauty(1890), Balanchine backedupintotheRenaissance, althoughthebookisnotinHomans’sbibliogra- the futureofballetasanartform. logue confirmsthisbookwaswrittenforreaderswhocannot reconcileBalanchine’sdeathwith vulnerable, anditisnearcollapseintheepilogue: “The Masters Are DeadandGone.” The epi- with themselves(540). Well, thisdoesturnouttobe anevil. Purity, althoughgodlike, isalso post-Balanchine worldofballet, theyengagein “unthinking athleticism,” andare “ill atease” (540). DoweneedtoreadMilton’sParadise Losttoseewhathappensfallenangels?Inthe Ballet: “In theyearsfollowingBalanchine’sdeathhisangels fell, onebyone, fromtheirheights” detachment (528). “Apollo” and “Angels” arecodewords forBalanchineandtheNew York City Balanchine spokeofdancersasangelsbecausewhatheperceived tobetheiremotional it turnsout, aretobefoundinBalanchine’slesser-known(1981). Adagio LamentosoApparently, Balanchine. The Apollo ofthebook’stitle nodstoBalanchine’sApollo(1928)andtheangels, as migrates totheUnitedStates, whereitisembodiedin the modernistneoclassicismofGeorge eventually movestoRussia(thereis “light” intheEast, asthetitleofPartIItellsus)andthen He onlyappearsonceinafootnote. of modernism, anditisnotsurprisingthat William ForsythehasnoplaceinHomans’shistory. ing force” (264). There isverylittleroomforinnovationinthisconceptiondespitetheadvent that itmarkedahistoricalplaceandfiercelyguardedthearistocraticprinciplewasitsguid- conservative, and, atherownadmission, “stuck” inthepast: “It was ballet thatisrootedinhighlyconservativeideologies. Stylisticpurityisaboveallaristocratic, that doesnottellastory, butevokesanessenceorafeeling;balletthatexudesgodlikenobility; judgments, notsocialhistory. ItisrevealingtounderstandwhatHomansmeansbypure:ballet Epilogue aside, whatwe havehereisthetrajectoryof Tim Scholl’s1994 From Petipa to The purityofballetoriginatesforHomansinFranceduringitsearlymodernperiod. It Books Apollo’s Angels: ofBallet. A History I havelongthoughtasocialhistoryofballetwouldbegoodidea York: RandomHouse, 2010;672pp.;illustrations. $20.00paper. by distinguishingwhatsheconsiderstobe “pure” ballet. This leadstovalue chronicle. JenniferHomansseparatesthewheatfromchaffofhistory ship, whichtheauthorhasapparentlynotconsulted. An agendadrivesthis in 1916, manyclaimsarecompromisedbythefindingsofrecentscholar dances of1581inLeBalletComiquedelaReinetoNijinsky’s American tour in itsanalysisandcontradictorymethodology. Fromthegeometrical although impressiveforitsvastcoverage, thebooktendstobeunreliable libretti andthumbnailsketchesofmajorminorhistoricalevents. But, dancers andchoreographersareinterwovenwithplotoutlinesfrom­ nique andstylesthatarestronglytiedtonationalidentity. Storiesofthe Apollo’s Angels reviewsfourcenturiesofballethistorywithafocusontech- something modeledafter Arnold Hauser’sclassicSocial — the birthplaceofclassicaldance inthe ByJenniferHomans. New stuck, butthatalsomeant History of Art(1951). History — ­ ballet perhaps - Books 199 the bal- — are not raised. are not raised. — the idea that a step in 1630 might not have looked the way it — that represent their own form of institutional memory? Homans would have calling relativism a “rigid and anachronistic part of our contemporary fascina- “rigid and anachronistic calling relativism a — —

what social forces are at play to bring about aesthetic change, and how aesthetic change at play to bring about aesthetic change, what social forces are —

Dance history is not only an act of transmission, but also an act of translation. Yet Homans Yet but also an act of translation. Dance history is not only an act of transmission, begins autobio­ Apollo’s Angels dance critic and a former ballet dancer. Jennifer Homans is a “Ballet has no texts and no standardized pause: Another programmatic sentence gives me let companies rejects historical relativism does in 2011 and bodies change ballets were and are performed by bodies, Yet (xxxiii). tion with instability” and the socially sanctioned physical capability and type of training, with respect to morphology, a film of the Royal Danish Ballet shot in 1909 For example, view of aesthetics across time. there is a great deal On the other hand, looks almost nothing like Royal Danish Ballet today. never know can We we can learn from the analysis of texts about how people did move in 1630. “rigid and anachronistic”; it is the relativism is not but I would argue that a healthy for sure, us think the archive does not exist, a gesture designed to dramatically underline the apparent a gesture us think the archive does not exist, burst upon the scene to offer us the textual traces dance which feigns to uniqueness of her book, itself lacks. graphically with the story of the author as a young girl in ballet school amidst an intellectual story of the author as a young girl in ballet graphically with the thesis of her narrative gives her license The dancer-centric of Chicago. family at the University basis of her own experience as start and to establish her authority on the to stage herself at the Her extrapolation of this expe- never refers to her professional activity). a dance student (she that dance exists primarily in for the professional dancer serves to assert rience as a paradigm it has only the transmission of mem- in the sense of documents; no history, It has the present. Nevertheless, (xix). not history” is an art of memory, then, “Ballet, ory through oral tradition: It is difficult to digest her decade doing research in European archives. Homans spent over a In the (xviii). “unconstrained by tradition and the past” claim that ballet by its very nature is this lack of constraint is precisely the problem con- epilogue she contradicts herself by saying She criticizes contemporary danc- and the cause of its decline. temporary ballet now confronts, to explain (There is no cultural analysis (545). “an accurate grasp of the past” ers for lacking taken seriously it seems as though none of this book’s claims are to be why this may be so.) But, as they are consistently turned on their head. There may (xviii). the most scattered written records” and only no scripts or scores, notation, but what of the many notational sys- the 18th century, be no standardized notation in use since centuries (see Franko 2011)? Claudia Jeschke and tems devised for ballet in the 19th and 20th using Nijinsky’s notational AfternoonAnn Hutchinson Guest reconstructed Nijinsky’s of a Faun of technique such as those of Carlo Blasis from the early What of the manuals system (1991). 19th centu- What of the thousands of ballet libretti from the 17th through the 19th century? and the writings from the first 15th-century Italian dance What of the memoirs of dancers, ries? of the his- What technical treatises of the 1940s? treatises to the publications of Serge Lifar’s Fernand Ménestrier in the 17th century to Lifar, toriography of dance starting with François French realm (see if we want to restrict ourselves to the and others, Maurice Brillant, Divoire, for which to deal August Bournonville and notes of what of the writings And, Cramer 2008)? (Contradicting her own methodological posi- with adequately one would have to read Danish? 19th century, Homans writes later of the wealth of documentation of ballet training in the tion, Romantic bal- and what of dance criticism beginning with what of the critics, [127].) Finally, what of the institutions themselves memory, regarding And, let in the 19th century? half of the book infuriating with all its contradictions until I realized the scheme, and that the and that scheme, until I realized the all its contradictions book infuriating with half of the from her dancer-centric One would expect to fit this scheme. being manipulated details were the seen through of danced movement unadorned description least a fidelity to the approach at symbol- by heavy-handed we are often confronted midst of description in the Yet, dancer’s eyes. a gentle and folded into in, gave weakened, “Pavlova slowly she writes: , Swan The Dying Of ism. might alert a social history The questions (295). died with her” it seemed, old ballet, the heap, us to social forces in its turn produces, reflects or, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

200 Books face inRomanticballet. of thecoreaestheticvaluesnobletraditionareleftsufficientlyvaguetobeableresur more withageneralcomportmentthanthespecificsoftechnique. Homans’sdescriptions for HomansandRomanticisminheritstheessenceofthisnobility, somethingthatisassociated to insurethetransmissionofitsaestheticvaluesthroughtime. The Baroqueperiodisgodlike ­better partofwisdom. InHomans’sview, itisnecessarytoidealizetheoriginofballetinorder theological. Sheunderstands 16th-centuryFrenchHumanismasanattemptto “remake the She recaststhemallasangels: they are “closest toGod” (6). Herviewof dancehistoryisdeeply Romantic balletsarefilledwith ahighlydifferentiatedcastofelementals, someofwhom fly. (xxii). Sheequatesamajor conceitofRomanticballet sources ofballet:physicalperfection (theclassical)andspiritualelevationpagan-­ bines mythologywithhagiography. Homansexplainsthatthetitleindicates two major media attentiongivenApollo’sAngels: whyhasitmetwithvirtuallynocriticism?Itstitlecom - American dancecriticism. intellectual honestyorclarity. Itissymptomaticof theanti-intellectualismthathaslongplagued tory tomatchherownfantasy, andtoblazonherallegiance toBalanchine, ishardlyamodelof lic” (548). Herattentiontothepublicexemplified inthisbookthroughthefabricationofahis- insiders whotalktoeachother(ofteninimpenetrabletheory-laden prose)andignorethepub- dance. “Dance todayhasshrunkintoarecondite worldofhyperspecialistsandballetomanes, erratically incomprehensibleinherhistoriography epilogue Random HousepresentsHomansasatrailblazer, butthetrailhasalreadybeenblazed. tory, butonewhofeignsignoranceofwhatshouldactuallybeherowndiscipline:dancestudies. as aformerdancerandcurrentdancecriticwithacademiccredentialsinthedisciplineofhis- dancer-scholar todayisnolongerararebreed. The publicityforthisbookspotlightsHomans or arecurrentlydoctoralcandidatesindancestudiesdepartmentstheUSandabroad. The dance studiesintoexistenceasanacademicfield. ManyprofessionaldancersnowhaveaPhD, ers, butSusanManningand Ann Dalywerealsomembers)inthecommonprojectofbringing along withSusanLeighFosterandCynthiaJean-CohenBull(wethreewereprofessionaldanc- thinks, noless! As aformermemberoftheNew York StudyGroupinthe1980sIparticipated dancer whoresearchesdance! A dancerwhothinksaboutdance’spast! A dancerwhoactually determined publicityforthisbookoffensive, whichmadeitsauthorouttobeanewbreed, a plinary positioningorthereasonsbehindit. This isthetimetomentionthatIfoundover- alongside literarystudies, visualculture, evenhistoryitself? There isnodiscussionofthisdisci- cal theorybeenbeyondmakingdancestudiesalegitimateandburgeoningacademicdiscipline ing onthebookforitsdeftavoidanceofaccursedjargon. What use, afterall, hascriti- history withoutdancetheoryorcriticaltheory. DancecriticClementCrispbestowedhisbless- studies thathasdevelopedapaceoverthepast30years. Perhapsherprojectwastododance first developedasadissertation, theauthorseemstohavesteeredclearoffielddance historical andtheoreticalanalysis. with theaimofsimplytellingastory question remainswhetheritispossibletowritethehistoryofanartformascomplexballet in lightofthepoliticalandintellectualupheavalspastthreehundredyears” (xxiv). The that historydoeshavearoletoplay: “how balletbeganandwhatitbecameisbestappreciated dance criticwhotoursthepastratherthanasanhistorianreconstructsit. Yet sheconcludes why” (xxiii). Shepracticesaestheticevaluationofthepast, andinthissensesheoperatesasa ent documentation. But, forherthismeans “to saythatthisballetwasbetterthanone, and Homans claimsthehistoriancanstillsalvageacriticalperspectivedespitelackofcoher By thetimeIreachedendofbookbecamesuspicious oftheimmenseamount But, onelearnsbytheendthatHomansdoesknowabout thefieldofdancestudies. Inher As adoctoralcandidateinhistoryatNew York University, wherethisbookwasapparently — that nastyandself-indulgentlittlediatribecontainsthekey tosomuchthatis — especially ifthatstoryisnotbackedupwithresponsible — she blamesdancestudiesfortheillsof — being airborne — with theangelic. Christian) - - Books 201 manner All this is quite against empiri- 1 not only Noverre’s, but also that of not only Noverre’s, — the past to which contemporary ballet must the past to which contemporary — and God and angels occupy the stage of cultural and God and angels — accomplished nothing. — the public” (104). This is storytelling as sheer fantasy, and it is time for her This is storytelling as sheer fantasy, (104). the public”

(1996) could have been useful useful been have could (1996) Desire and Story of Staging Ballet’s Narrative: and Choreography Foster’s Leigh Susan of conception the in changes forced choreography in narrative to turn the that explains it way the for Homans to moved. bodies those view how and bodies we how To assure the longevity of the noble style from the 17th to the early 19th century, Homans 17th to the early 19th century, assure the longevity of the noble style from the To As she moves ahead to 17th-century France the angels are not left behind. Divine Right is left behind. to 17th-century France the angels are not As she moves ahead of Jean-Georges Noverre and to his ballet Homans devotes ample attention to the life 1. ([1962] 1989). It is ([1962] 1989). of the Public Sphere Transformation to read Jürgen Habermas’s The Structural ­ not easy to encompass centuries of the history of this art in an intellectually responsible cal evidence as well as against her stated principle that ballet reflects historical and intellec- cal evidence as well as against her stated the noble Because Homans wants early-19th-century Romantic Ballet to inherit tual upheavals. even as she she must keep that style visible on Parisian stages well into the 19th century style, ballet as we “The French Romantics invented ballet. erases the influence of the bourgeoisie on know it today” (170). “The word public did omits the existence of the bourgeois public sphere in the 18th century: debate might not even refer (as it does today) to an agora or external arena where discussion or God) pos- take place; it simply described general or universal truths [...] and the King (next to He was sessed them. if one chooses to ignore major monographs in dance studies and the relevant critical theory of society.

adhere throughout its innovative evolution adhere throughout its of that purity. history to make us mindful Here we see the close connec- (11). “closer to the angels and God” said to place the monarch but not in a critical sense whereby power and political power, tion between ballet aesthetics ballet aesthetics are historically but in that in and through ballet culture, would be negotiated we see that Hence, (9). really died in ballet” “that never theology of pure determined by a kind Ballet is sweetness perfection. a paragon of religiosity and moral an angel, the dancer is indeed Developments in the ballet of in today’s world is truly a fall from grace. and light and its decline adding up to nothing more become blurred in Homans’s account, the 17th and 18th centuries is a chapter Although there overturned until 1831! than an aristocratic tradition that was not the aristocracy the bourgeoisie displaced let us recall, during which, on the French Revolution, in any lasting affect dance technique for Homans, it did not, by sending many to the guillotine, her account of the political pressures on dance and dancers in the (Compare this with manner. the famous Romantic balle- we find For in the next chapter, Soviet Union in the 20th century.) Which (139). “a century of aristocratic affect” in 1821 still stripping away Taglioni rina Marie “had a strong aristo- dancing Taglioni’s claims century’s affect was she stripping away? Homans Baroque rejection of classicism is nowhere in evidence. Romanticism’s famed (142). cratic cast” nothing to For Homans the 18th century contributed dance is the holy ghost of romanticism. did little to interrupt the noble tradition. and the French Revolution ballet history, of static “a series limiting his ballet-pantomime to reform in the 18th century but winds up well as that of as Noverre’s expressive gesture, (75). tableaux and irregularly posed groups” For Homans it and its place in history virtually erased. is not explored, Angiolini, Gasparo ballet reform seems as though the entire 18th-century and Gardel Angiolini, Hilverding, Christian church” in dance spectacle (5)! The Neoplatonism of the Humanists in the circle Humanists in the circle of the The Neoplatonism (5)! in dance spectacle Christian church” de BaïfAntoine of of musique issued the theory Musique et de Danse from which ’s Académie de I thought it was (6). love of God” “a transcendent as an attempt to instill is described mesurée Renaissance was a that the art of the ([1860] 1990) since Jacob Burkhardt generally agreed wars a period of religious it matter at all that in Does all things. as the measure of return to man - Homans pres may have been in dispute? and hence of God meaning of religion in France the century as a period of purity ents the bloody 16th Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

202 Books

assortment ofimagesandalargeifstillquiteblinkeredbibliography. gross historicaldistortionsarepenetratedandtheagendaunearthed, thereremainsanappealing liar amalgamofnostalgia, mourning, andarrogance. Oncethemethodologicalmorassand in theBalanchine-as-the-be-all-and-end-allversionofballethistory. Itbringswithitapecu- let history, itisjustanotherpro-Balanchinetractmasquerading ashistory, perhapsthelastgasp phy iscalled “godlike” (507). This is notjustaconfusedanda-disciplinarytreatmentofbal- stands inforthemovementofhistoricalbodiestimeandspace. Balanchine’schoreogra- ological premisesandignoresimportantresearch. The recoursetogodlikeorangelicessences noble traditionwithvirtuositybutcannotoverwhelmthearistocratic aesthetic. through theso-called “grotesque” Italiancontributiontodancetechnique, whichenhancesthe Noverre andcompanymustbeeclipsed, andthebourgeoisinfluenceinballetmustonlypass virtuosity, saintlinessandperversity, canbeembodiedinballethistorythrough Taglioni. erences toGodinherdiscussionofthe16thand17thcenturies. FrencharistocracyandItalian tence onseeingtheancienrégime in Taglioni isthekeytoheragendawithcartoonishref- essentially feminineartatthistime(thinkofBalanchine’sballetaswoman). Homans’sinsis- era inballetbymakingdanceintoitsownsubjectmatter. Shealsoaddsthatdance becomesan fers tocreditadancer. Taglioni, shesays, wasthefirstmodernist. Sheinauguratesthemodern itself becamedancing. But, ratherthancreditaparticularballetwithmodernism, Homanspre- innovation, however, wastointegratedancingwiththeactioninsuchawaythatdramatic class aswellloverivalry, madness, andredemption. Itismostdefinitelyastory. Part ofits still studiedbydancerstodaytounlocknewanglesofinterpretation. The storyinvolvessocial characters werewooden. What ofthepopularitymelodramain19thcentury? ever, werenottobebelieved, anddancesbecame “visual poemsorliving dreams” (170). But, wait: “Pantomime wasnotgone. To thecontrary, itcontinuedtothrive” (170). Plots, how- usually thoughtofastheapogeestoryindance, wasapparentlynotthatatallforHomans. dance ofwords, pantomime, andthestoryballet” (170). Romanticballetofthe19thcentury, intrinsic meaning” (170). LaSylphide(1832)andGiselle(1841)aresaidtobreak “the holdon since theseventeenthcenturysteps, poses, andmovementsofballethadacquiredanew One wouldwanttodothisif Taglioni werearguablythehingefigure: “Thusforthefirsttime of itisnotevenacknowledged. for anascentmodernism. This isaverycounter-intuitive argument, andthecontroversialaspect make thenarrativeballetanaberrationof18thcenturythatdisappearsin19th Baroque dancetodayistobestruckbyhowunlike19th-centuryballetitwas. Finally, shemust a centuryafterithadbecomeideologicallyandartisticallydefunct. To seeareconstructionof highly regulatedineverydetailtellsusnothing)ordertomakeitappearsurviveforatleast tury. Itisalsonecessarytokeepthelookof17th-centurynoblestylevague(tosaythatitwas importance ofthe18thcenturyandrelateearly19thquitecloselyto17thcen- ing fromtheearlymoderntomodern. To dothis, shefindsitnecessarytominimizethe this book’spublication), shemustsubstantiateanenduringaristocratic-spiritualinfluenceflow- claim thatballethasnowrunitscourse(anargumentsheputoutinTheNewRepublicpriorto holds backtheclock, isstuckinthepast). Putotherwise, inordertosubstantiatetheultimate 2. But, doesanyofthisreallymatter? The authorcontradicts eachoneofherownmethod- Giselle isthemostdramaturgicallysophisticatedofall19th-centuryballets. Itscharactersare Why wouldonewanttoplacetheadventofballetmodernisminearly19thcentury? This bookdoesnotclaimthatballetreflectsculturebutitrunscounterto(it know little about Noverre’s very ballets (546). rative. In chapter 12 she makes Noverre the progenitor of Antony Tudor (482–83); in the epilogue she states we (547–48) as if to make up for the fact that she had erased both action ballet and the bourgeoisie from her nar- In the epilogue, Homans calls this recourse to “the inner world of dreams” a bourgeois characteristic of ballet ak Franko —Mark 2 The Books 203

- Dance Research Journal Research Dance Restored: A Study of Vaslav Nijinsky’s Nijinsky’s Vaslav of A Study Faune Restored: By Stanley Cavell. By Stanley Cavell.

must look at what is going is going (he and his cardiologist) must look at what New York: Vintage Books. Vintage Art. New York: The Social History of From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the Modernization of Ballet. London: and the Modernization of Ballet. Classical Revival to Balanchine: Petipa From

arts/78263/ballet-over (23 January 2011). arts/78263/ballet-over and His Dance Notation System.& Breach. d’un faune and His Dance Notation Philadelphia: Gordon L’Après-midi Dance Score Press. MA: MIT Cambridge, Thomas Burger. Trans. Society. of Bourgeois Routledge. Freedom: Dance Culture in France Between 1930 and 1950]. Berlin: Parodos Verlag. Parodos Berlin: Between 1930 and 1950]. Culture in France Freedom: Dance Indiana University Press. 2:321–34. 17, Knowledge Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2010; 557 pp.; $34.95 cloth, e-book e-book 2010; 557 pp.; $34.95 cloth, CA: Stanford University Press, Stanford, available. volume Little Did I Know: Excerpts Stanley Cavell begins his autobiographical with the recollected proclamation that his heart would soon from Memory, be catheterized; that we surface of this monumental work, On the ades as nothing more than that. own mortality with an attempt to American philosopher faces his an aging of his life. or accidental, deliberate trace in writing the worthy occasions, weave and investigation play a more complex Imbedded within that surface, 2003,” “July 2, The date on the initial entry reads ­themselves out over the work’s 548 pages. we we arrive at the promised cardiological procedure, and before as all the entries are dated, a father’s a mother’s musical career, Atlanta, have taken a long detour through childhood in Atlanta, a second relocation back to to Sacramento, a family’s relocation failed pawn shop, the author’s and a semi-remembered car accident that forever damaged the inner workings of the advances of the narration into from or retreats periodically, The writing oscillates, left ear. . To the reader immediately absorbed into the concern of the reader immediately absorbed into To on inside the heart. of philosophical thought underlying the subtleties the narration’s moment, Thoreau’s as when Henry David the words can elude attention altogether, masquer surveying of the depths of the pond in Cavell’s beloved Walden , 13 October. www.tnr.com/article/books-and- 13 October. The New Republic, “Is Ballet Over?” 2010. Jennifer. Homans, 1994. Tim. Scholl, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category InquiryAn into a Category Sphere: of the Public Transformation The Structural (1961) 1994. Jürgen. Habermas, Arnold. 1951. Hauser, References Penguin. York: New Italy. of the Renaissance in The Civilization (1860) 1990. Jacob. Burkhardt, 1930 und 1950 zwischen Total [In in Frankreich Tanzkultur In aller Freiheit: 2008. Anton. Franz Cramer, Story Bloomington: of and Desire. Ballet’s Staging Narrative: and Choreography 1996. Susan Leigh. Foster, Common and Reinvention in Dance.” Reconstruction for the Body: Notation, “Writing 2011. Mark. Franko, Nijinsky’s 1991. Jeschke. and Claudia Ann Hutchinson, Guest, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of Institute Massachusetts the and University York New Memory. Little Did I Know: Excerpts from TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 2012. Summer (T214) 56:2 Review Drama The TDR: Mark Franko is Professor of Dance at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and Director of the of the and Director Cruz, of California at Santa at the University of Dance is Professor Franko Mark award in Dance on Research the Congress received He Studies. and Performance Visual for Center of is Editor for 2011. He in Dance Scholarly Research for Outstanding (Cambridge University Press) and Founding Editor of the Oxford Studies in Dance Theory in Dance Studies book series. of the Oxford Editor and Founding Press) University (Cambridge is forthcoming Oxford Work from The Life in the War: and in Love Graham monograph Martha His 2012. [email protected] in May Press University Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

204 Books extended ­ Studies. Such contoursbefitthewriting ofautobiographyafterall, especiallyofalifespent “in” student leadersfortheestablishment ofaDepartment(so-calledatthetime) Afro-American Rawls collaborated on the translation and presentation to the Harvard faculty of the demands of the lattercomesinrecounting oftheupheavalsatHarvardin1969, whenCavell and John historical momentandsometimes humble, sometimeshistoric, location. A notableexampleof and surprisinglyrewarding, orperhapsgrounding, geography, aplacement ofeachepisodeinits Know makeitafinestartingplacefornewcomerstoCavell, andherealsoisfoundaninsistent work, andbyextensionto Wittgenstein’s. The veryintricaciesoftherumination inLittleDidI and Cavellcontinuestopuzzleoverthehostilityofphilosophy establishmentto Austin’s catastrophic changefamouslyanalyzedbyKuhninTheStructureofScientificRevolution (1962), Wordswith Do Things Kuhn. The unspokenparallelseemsclear: Austin’s 1955Harvardlectures, collectedinHowto moments oftutorshipfromhisteacherJ.L. Austin, aswellhisfriendandcolleague Thomas tional thinkingofordinarylanguagephilosophy, and inmemorablepassagesCavellrecallskey nary causesittorecede, ortransformsit, intothe extraordinary King Lear. The Cavellianparadox the extraordinaryreturnsofsuchattendance, oflaboring inattendanceto, thesettingsunof The ordinaryinvestmentofaccompanyingtheplayonitsjourneythroughproductionreveals incidental musicforaproductionofKingLear. ollects apivotalmomentofhisstudentyearsatBerkeleyinthe1940swhenhecomposed ent themselveshereinequalmeasure, perhapseveninequilibrium, forthefirsttime. Herec- comedies ofHollywood. Perhapsfewwillknowallthosestrandsofhisthought, buttheypres- Thoreau andEmerson, J.L. Austin and Wittgenstein, still othershisworkonthe “remarriage” departing thislife. I Knowseemsadiligentandthoroughworkofpreparation, ofthefelicitouspreconditionsfor an attemptatthelaborofphilosophy’spreconditions. InthewakeofsuchrealizationLittleDid his life’swork, seennowinretrospectaslessanenactmentofphilosophicalthoughtandmore Cavell comestorecognizelateinthebook, characterizestheoddnessandmixedreceptionof to ways thesubject;astylethatmightbeconsideredlate, andthesubjectofimperative differences ofthetimewriting. The densityoftextureconstitutesthestyleandinsome ing outofmoments, orknowledgeoutofmemory, andthenecessityofpausingtoelucidate woven, evencontradictory, modesofthoughtassuperimposedtemporalities, momentstelescop- work hauntsthebookfromoutset, andthemannerofhauntingtakesthisform:inter began afterSeptember1, 2004, andextendedtheprojectsomefouryearslonger. A senseoflast terpoint toboth, atertiaryresolutionassertsitselffromtherewritingthroughpassagesthat ogy ofthenarratedlifeeventsfromchildhoodthroughteachingyearsatHarvard. Incoun- in thatpresenttime(theheartprocedureforexample)andechoesminiaturethechronol- those datesproceedchronologicallyto “September 1, 2004,” achronologythatincludesevents allel proceduresatwork look atwhat isgoing oninsidetheheart. The sustainedactofsuchlooking, attemptedinpublic, could have otherwise found myself). (215) could haveotherwisefoundmyself). in responsetotheplayhadledmefurtherintoitsworldthan, atthatstage, Iwouldor could ofmysensethoseactionsandideaswords(thoughdoubtlesswritingmusic what Ifelthadtosayaboutthem, thanIwasinthemusicwhichexpressedwhat guage oftheplay, andinlearningunderstandingwhatmightbesaidaboutthem consciously andunforgettably, thatIwasmoreinterestedintheactionsandideaslan- performances, thatIcame, notwithoutconsiderableanxiety, tothefirstclearinklings, and, assemblingandrehearsingasmallorchestra, conductingdressrehearsalsandeight It washere, playingmusiccuesatthepianoforscenerehearsals, andforrun-throughs, Some readersmayknowCavell’swritingonBeckettandShakespeare, othershisworkon passages ofcontemplation, andbeforelongCavelltakesthetimetoelucidatepar (1962), hadaseismiceffectonphilosophyanalogousto themomentsof — the dateofeachentrysignifiesmomentitsinitialdraft, and — that theattentionrequiredtoattendsomethingasordi- — emerges fromthefounda- - - Books 205 - Matthew — Matthew Goulish to offer a virtuosic reading of The to offer a virtuosic —

or does it? — the union jacks and balaclavas worn by the pro- — By Bill McDonnell. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2008. 2008. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, By Bill McDonnell. and a competing historical narrative that implicated British rule in

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But all is not reminiscence and thorough accounting, as the writer, at the age of 78, attempts of 78, at the age as the writer, thorough accounting, reminiscence and But all is not Theatres of the Troubles locates itself at this sort of intersec- Troubles of the Bill McDonnell’s excellent book Theatres New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of Institute Massachusetts the and University York New Resistance and Liberation Theatre, Troubles: of the Theatres in Ireland. TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 2012. Summer (T214) 56:2 Review Drama The TDR: that unspools with the flow of improvisation, as an alignment of numer as an alignment flow of improvisation, of the Disaster that unspools with the Writing his first reading of Maurice Blanchot. This results in the book’s stunning 14th and final section, section, 14th and final in the book’s stunning This results of Maurice Blanchot. his first reading altogether from autobiography which departs to by way of Ruskin and Proust, Transcendentalism from Emerson’s ous stars reconstellating, to Prince Hamlet by Cary Grant, with a notable cameo of Howard Hawkes, Hemingway by way at first as a recapitulation of the What appears Letter to the Corinthians. and Saint Paul’s First reveals itself perfect new ingredient, to closure with the addition of the brought themes of a life, farewell to the father as complex and as a with breathtaking emotional force, in its final pages, Thus is to have nothing. have knowledge and not to have charity To elusive as it is ordinary. of the questions of what it means to only to face the necessity the theme, could one paraphrase the two force themselves on us at once, and how to give something away, and know something, that death and expected or not, of attendance to the performances, crisis, in those moments of or narrates in the light’s last, A master teacher regularly as any sunrise. life bring our way as glow. maybe first, and the dramaturg for the performance Every group is a writer and performer, Goulish Mathew of Chicago. [email protected] Institute writing at the School of the Art teaches He a Door. Has House philosophy as a dwelling-in-progress, “something like a home, call it a neighborhood [...] not it a neighborhood call like a home, “something as a dwelling-in-progress, philosophy it was but awkwardness, inexperience or of my intellectual primarily no doubt because perfect, (242–43). start from here” better place must clear to me that any sufficiently tion between political theory and theatrical intervention. A community-based English artist, A community-based English artist, tion between political theory and theatrical intervention. offers a remarkable account McDonnell “Troubles,” whose work took him to Belfast during the in Northern of the rich and varied theatrical practices that emerged during the violent struggle McDonnell community-based performance, Examining Ireland during the 1980s and ’90s. companies offers a thorough and personally implicated account of the theatrical processes of Distributed in North America by University of Chicago Press; 254 pp.; Distributed in North $32.95 paper. $89.95 cloth, by the Pig’s Dyke play At the Black Wood’s Vincent a production of In 1993, They by masked performers. Galway theatre company Druid was interrupted in protest ending to the play, came to the stage and read aloud an alternative which drew on the The Druid show, of its depiction of nationalist violence. was countered by a “mumming,” masked Irish folk performance practice of series of competing masks it turned out, The protesters, the use of violence by Republican terrorists. who intervened in company, Theatre were actors from the Derry Frontline the Nonetheless, Theatre techniques. Augusto Boal’s Forum the show using threat implied by these menacing masks caused some of the show’s Druid that their lives were in danger. convinced performers to flee the theatre, testors Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

206 Books The Actor inCostume(Palgrave MacMillan, 2010)[email protected] Aoife Monks isaSenior Lecturer intheatre studiesatBirbeck, University ofLondon,andtheauthor living theatre. methodological challengesofthinkingthroughthetensionsand contradictionsintheworkof the courageofcommunitiesmakingworkinfacepolitical crisis, andequallyspeakstothe whose personalandpoliticalstrugglestheyadmire. This book, then, standsasatestamentto ethical dilemmasfacedbyscholarsoftheatreinwritingabout artiststheyhaveworkedwith, and probably rightly)limitedinhisabilitytopursuethislineofinquiry, whichspeakstothebroader tially fruitfulpointsofcontentionforfuturestudiesthesetheatrepractices. communities isoffsetbytheremarkabletheatricalityoftheirOrangeOrderparades, arepoten- sect withhomophobiaorracism, andequallyhowtheabsenceoftheatreinloyalistunionist aspects ofthishistory. The waysinwhichpoliticalradicalismandleft-wingtheatrecaninter in detail. However, thesetensionsandcontradictionsconstitutesomeofthemostinteresting and raceinaconservativeapproachtotheatricalform, areacknowledgedbutnotelaborated ing ofsomethetheatrework, whichwererevealedinproblematicattitudestowardsexuality munities. This alsomeansthatthecontradictionsandconflicttookplaceduringmak- the scholarship, duetotherelativeabsenceofatheatricalcultureinloyalistandunionistcom- strength but, asheacknowledges, italsoleadstoalargelynationalistandrepublicanfocus further research. clear senseofwhatitmeanttobeaspectatoratthiswork. This willbeafruitfulavenuefor theatre roots, focuseslargelyonthepoliticsoftheatricalprocess, butwearegivenaless ing upafascinatingterrainforfuturescholars. McDonnell’sanalysis, truetohisownapplied- formal influencesonthisworkbyEuropeanradicaltheatremakersand AugustoBoal, open- powers oftheatreintimesconflict. Healsoprovidesaninvaluablesenseoftheaestheticand and anxietiesduringthisperiod. provides asenseoftherolethattheatreplayedincrystallizingcommunityallegiances, concerns, offering carefulanddetailedaccountsofsuchextraordinarytheatrepracticesthatMcDonnell papers smuggledoutofprison, andperformedbytheprisoners’familycommunity?Itis ductions, forexample, arebasedonplayscriptswrittenbyprisonersinfragmentscigarette als includingletters, unpublishedplayscripts, andeyewitnessaccounts. Howmanytheatrepro- took placeunderremarkableconditions, shedslightonhisproductiveengagementwithmateri- this work, establishingandsafe-guardinganeasilylostveryimportantrecordoftheatrethat viously unusedarchivalsources. Furthermore, McDonnell’saccountofhisownroleinsome theatre practicesandpoliticaltheoriesinfluencedtheworkoftheseNorthernIrishcompanies. landscape ofliberationistpoliticalphilosophy, examininginparticularhowBrazilianand African uates thisworkwithinitspoliticalandsocialcontextsinNorthernIrelandthebroader by prisonersintheinfamousH-Blocks, andofcourse, DerryFrontline Theatre. McDonnellsit- such asthePeople’s Theatre, BelfastCommunity Theatre, DubbelJoint, theperformance work New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 McDonnell, inhissenseofresponsibilitytotheworktheseartists, isnecessarily(and McDonnell’s personalrelationshiptothetheatredescribedhereformsbook’sgreat In this, McDonnelldemonstrateshiscommitmenttothetransformativeandtherapeutic In doingso, McDonnelloffersanextremelyusefulresourceforscholars, drawingfrompre-

of Monks —Aoife - Books 207

2 Il Teatro Laboratorium di di Laboratorium Teatro Il others In 1 Edited by Paul Allain. London and New London Allain. Paul Edited by a performance anthropologist and head of the Institute of Polish Culture —

(The Theatre Laboratory of Jerzy Grotowski). Jerzy Laboratory Theatre (The of Grotowski Jerzy Grotowski and others frequently discuss his work according to four periods: Theatre of Productions 1957–1969; 1957–1969; Productions of Theatre periods: four to according work his discuss frequently others and Grotowski until 1986 Artvehicle, and 1983–1986; Drama, as Objective 1969–1982; Sources, of Theatre and Paratheatre and Grotowski Jerzy of Workcenter the by continued is work of line this (although 1999 in death Grotowski’s 1997). Schechner and Wolford (see Italy) Pontadera, in Richards Thomas film 1992 her from Grotowski interview an of transcript a is text The with Ahrne by Part II makes available in English some of the work of two major Polish Grotowski scholars: Part II makes available in English some of This evocative thesis implies a symbiosis between Grotowski’s Theatre of Productions Theatre of Productions between Grotowski’s This evocative thesis implies a symbiosis receiv- Eugenio Barba’s letter to Grotowski (written on the occasion of Grotowski In Part I, 1. 2. Ahrne’s unassuming questions elicit heartfelt and precise responses from Grotowski. The reader and precise responses from Grotowski. Ahrne’s unassuming questions elicit heartfelt complex subjects in terms even the uninitiated can senses his personal warmth as he discusses understand. Tradition,” “Grotowski and the Reduta Osin;ski’s Zbigniew Osin;ski and Leszek Kolankiewicz. Theatre of of Grotowski’s is an abridged version of several essays by the chronicler-in-chief theatre that Grotowski frequently referred to as It focuses on the interwar Productions period. “Grotowski and Kolankiewicz’s essay, Theatre. an ethical predecessor to the Polish Laboratory mentions Flaszen. given that he barely is oddly titled, Theatre Laboratory?” Why a Flaszen: But Kolankiewicz

Grotowski’s Empty Room. Empty Room. Grotowski’s frequently delineate to discuss his work, it should instead be considered instead be considered it should his work, delineate to discuss frequently as vehicle. Art Theatre of Productions through as a continuum from York: Seagull Books, 2009; 233 pp.; illustrations. $29.00 cloth. pp.; illustrations. 2009; 233 Books, Seagull York: uni- an anthology of essays is Allain, by Paul edited Empty Room, Grotowski’s Grotowski and ­ of the four periods that idea: instead fied by a central the chapter that lends the volume its name, “The Empty Room: Studying “The Empty the volume its name, the chapter that lends historian Franco Italian theatre ,” A Theatre Poor Jerzy Grotowski’s Towards to demon- close reading of the seminal 1968 book Ruffini undertakes a conspicu- Ruffini notes, , A Theatre Poor core: Towards strate an absence at its with Ryszard of Grotowski’s rehearsal process ously excludes any description the 1967 premiere of the Polish Laboratory Cies;lak in preparation for - This process is signifi of Calderón’s The Constant Prince. Theatre production “inner path” the it marked a new direction toward argues, for as Ruffini cant, to his work on a path that eventually led Grotowski of the actor/doer (108): there A Theatre Poor of Towards “big house” within the he poetically concludes, As Art as vehicle. in the the living stream of impulses; ‘process,’ is the “In the empty room “empty room”: is an The empty room takes its leave from and skill [...]. big house there is performance with its craft (110). of Grotowski’s final years” Workcenter and already introduces the public performances, (see Grotowski [1988] “Performer” and the work on between performance Art as vehicle, and Canterbury, Kent, professor of theatre and performance at the University of Allain, Paul 1997). has collected (and and director of the British Grotowski Project from 2006–2009, England, central the- each of which supports Ruffini’s essays, had translated) an important collection of edited by as part of Seagull Press’s Enactments series, The volume is handsomely produced sis. the layout and durable, The cloth edition is well bound Carol Martin and Richard Schechner. with 17 photographs. appealing to the eye, 1988) in May Tuscany of from the Italian Region Award ing the Golden Pegasus International Barba writes solitude has always been active,” “Your subtly announces the book’s main theme. fictionalized account of her experience in Paratheatre Ahrne’s Marianne to his teacher (4). Katarina Horowitz) seems out of place in a book of (excerpted from her autobiographical novel is informative. which serves as an appendix, but her interview with Grotowski, analytical essays, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

208 Books through researchintothe “inner life” proceedingfromthelineof Art as vehicle, orthrougha ness, attheheartofemptyroom. Butthereis stillmuchforotherstodiscoverthere, either the ground[...]” (214). any library, andofwhichhewasonethelastinformed andlearnedscholars, whichburntto appearance ofGrotowski, itisawholepartofhumanity’s heritage, whichcannotbefoundin Fumaroli concludes, “with thedeathofeverygreat literaryfigure, alibraryburns. With thedis- chosomatic performancesofprayerinByzantinemonastictradition (210). “As wewellknow,” pedagogues oftheatre, wasinterestedinorthodoxhesychasm” of theactor. With strikinglyprecisevocabulary, FumarolinotesthatGrotowski, “alone among Stanislavsky andGrotowski(whilealsoathomethere)tothe “empty room” oftheinnerlife To useRuffini’sterminology, BrechtandDiderotbelongtothe “bighouse” oftheatrecraft, Beijing Operaononeside;andStanislavsky, Grotowski, andtrancetechniquesontheother. Fumaroli skillfullydelineatestwomain “families” ofworldtheatre, placingBrecht, Diderot, and Drawing heavilyonGrotowski’sunpublished1995text, “Titres et Travaux” ing hislife’swork, whichillhealthpreventedhimfromcompletingbeforehisdeathin1999. to theChairof Theatre Anthropology. There, Grotowskibeganaseriesoflecturessummariz - France, wherehewasresponsiblefornominatingGrotowskitothe Assembly ofProfessorsand became amemberofthe Académie Française, andanHonoraryProfessorattheCollègede Fumaroli forhis1969interviewwithGrotowski(Fumaroli[1969]1997). Sincethen, Fumaroli their critiquesareindisputable. inthe debates” (188).inclination tosituate[oneself] Buttheseriousness, rigor, andeloquenceof opposed totheartistordoer If theItalianscholarsshareafault, itisperhapsanexaltedsenseoftherolescholaras tling conclusionthat “serious studiesofGrotowskiandhistraditionarejustbeginning” (188). productions wouldbenotonlyinappropriatebutalsoconfusing” (175). Hebuildstothestar Grotowski and Thomas Richards]’srecentworkintermsofapureandsimplereturntotheatre room.”) Inhissecondessay, DeMarinisarguesthat “to speakaboutthe Workcenter [ofJerzy language, thissuggests20th-centurytheatre’srelocationfromthe “big house” tothe “empty real actionoftheactoronspectator, thehumanonhuman” (149). (To applyRuffini’s consisted oftheabandonmententertainmentparadigmforaefficacy: “the Marco DeMarinisproceedsfromthepremisethattruerevolutionof20th-centurytheatre tiatory Tradition’” whoisalso “a directorandmasteroftheatre” (124). Inthefirstoftwoessays, cated portraitofGrotowskiasanartistwitha “double vision”:as “one ofthe ‘masters oftheini- fully inalongeressayfrom2001bookthatunfortunatelyremainsuntranslatedintoEnglish). points, notablyGrotowski’srelationshiptoGnosis(whichhehaselaborateduponevenmore his critical-historicalanalysisofGrotowski’slifeandpractice. Kolankiewicztouchesonmany and Theatre ofSources at Warsaw UniversitywhoworkedcloselyunderGrotowskiforadecadeduringParatheatre

book. tions onthe “empty room” attheheartofGrotowski’spracticeappearverycenter Figuris, fromwhenitwasshowninopenrehearsalsasTheGospels(Ewangelie ). account (from1967)ofanearlyversionGrotowski’slaststageproduction, Apocalypsiscum Rounding outPartIIisCzechdramaturgandcriticZdene=kHor 4. 3. Grotowski’s “disappearance” leavesanabsence, andformany, aprofoundfeelingofempti- Finally, thereisMarcFumaroli’s “Grotowski, ortheBorderFerryman.” Somewillrecall Part IIIincludesRuffini’scoreessay. Inneatsymmetrywithhisargument, Ruffini’sreflec- special issue of The essays by Ruffini and Taviani, as well as Barba’s letter andAhrne’s chapter and interview, first appeared in a Kolankiewicz’s essays on Gardzienice book also contains masterful and Tadeusz Kantor. 4 Also inPartIII, Ferdinando Taviani (Odin Teatret’s literaryadvisor)drawsasophisti- Teatro e Storia entitled “Grotowski: The Time after Tomorrow,” published in 1998–1999 (xviii). — brings bothpersonalexperienceandinterdisciplinaryacumento — what DeMarinisreferstoas “academic arrogance,” orthe “weak

— ínek’s rarecontemporary =ínek’s a practicerelatedtopsy- (Titles andworks), - 3

Books 209

— Kermit Dunkelberg - By By Phillip B. By Phillip B.

Grotowski]. Film, 53 min. Radiotelevision Italiana. Radiotelevision 53 min. Film, Grotowski]. London: Routledge. 105–11. eds., and Richard Schechner, Wolford Lisa Grotowski Sourcebook, London: Routledge. 374–78. eds., Schechner, Representing the Past: Essays in Performance Historiography. Historiography. Essays in Performance the Past: Representing Iowa City: University Thomas Postlewait. Edited by Charlotte Canning and e-book available. 2010; 428 pp.; $29.95 paper, of Iowa Press, “performance historiogra- and “theatre historiography,” “Historiography,” For the pur are often mentioned in theatre and performance studies. phy” The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Historiography. Historiography. Theatre Cambridge Introduction to The defined in these it may be useful to draw attention to how historiography is pose of this review, (second edition) rejects the objectivity and doc- An Introduction History: Theatre three volumes. writing of his- and recognizes that the umentarianism of what is called foundationalist history, work. tory has been affected by the historical and cultural formations within which historians the notion that the historian’s fundamental obligation is the authors reinforce At the same time, particularly in consulting primary (xxv), of truth” “as scrupulous as possible in the pursuit to be race, What are the gender, Whose history has not been told? sources and seeking new evidence. and why have previ- from the ideologies of the age, Who benefited and class of eyewitnesses? global answer these questions, To (xxv). not others?” “asked some questions and ous historians and writ- or world theatre history is organized into four parts: performance and theatre in oral 1500–1900; theatre and ing cultures before 1700; theatre and performance in print cultures, 1850–1970; and theatre and performance in the age performance in modern media cultures, Each section features case studies analyzed through an 1950–2009. of global communications, Theatre Histories: An Introduction. 2nd Edition. An Introduction. Histories: Theatre TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 2012. Summer (T214) 56:2 Review Drama The TDR: Kermit Dunkelberg is Managing Director and cofounder, with Kim Mancuso, of Pilgrim Theatre Theatre of Pilgrim with Kim Mancuso, and cofounder, Director Kermit Managing Dunkelberg is and performance studies at several taught theatre has He Collaborative. Performance and Research kermit College. and Emerson at Amherst of Massachusetts including the University universities, Technology of Institute Massachusetts the and University York New Fumaroli, Marc. (1969) 1997. “External Order, Internal Intimacy: Interview with Grotowski.” In The Internal Intimacy: Interview with Grotowski.” “External Order, (1969) 1997. Marc. Fumaroli, Forlag. Teatrets Denmark: Odin Holstebro, . Theatre A Poor Towards 1968. Jerzy. Grotowski, and Richard Wolford Lisa In The Grotowski Sourcebook, “Performer.” 1997. (1988) Jerzy. Grotowski, terytoria. Gdan;sk: wydawnictwo słowo/obraz ;. Mały Wóz Wielki, 2001. Leszek. Kolankiewicz, References Laboratory of Jerzy Theatre Grotowski [The Jerzy di Laboratorium Teatro Il 1993. dir. Marianne, Arhne, [email protected] return to the empty room as theatre laboratory. For practitioners wishing to pursue these paths, paths, to pursue these For practitioners wishing laboratory. empty room as theatre return to the essays are indispensable. these them, seeking to understand or for scholars Thomas Postlewait. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009; 360 pp.; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Thomas Postlewait. $29.95 paper. $87.00 cloth, illustrations. Zarrilli, Bruce McConachie, Gary Jay Williams, and Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei. and Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei. Williams, Gary Jay Bruce McConachie, Zarrilli, 2006; xxvi + 630 pp.; London: Routledge, Williams. Edited by Gary Jay $59.95 paper. $125.25 cloth, illustrations. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

210 Books et al. 2007). sense, orJoanScott’sreformulation ofhistoricalthinkingasakindcritique(allinJenkins argument thathistoricalpractice canneverinhabitthemainstreaminanyepistemological Discourse Munslow’s argument(followingHayden White’s, madeoverthreedecadesagoinTheTropicsof fragmented, fabricated, self-referencing, and questioning. Nordoesittakeintoaccount Alun ment, objectivity, balance, anddiachrony infavorofanunderstandingthepastthatisalways itself. Forexample, itdisregardsKeithJenkins’s rejection ofthemodernistidealsdetach- cal knowledgeshouldbepresented. Itisasystemofvalues thatignorescritiquesofthesystem produce theillusionthatthereisaconsensus(nowheterogenous one)aboutthewayhistori- sistency, scope, simplicity, and fruitfulness(seevonRanke1973). These cognitivevaluesalways categories thatechothoseofferedbyLeopoldvonRankeinthe 19thcentury:accuracy, con- Histories, itseems, eventhoughhediedin1990. bles thefateof Tadeusz Kantorinthisvolume, stillaliveinthissecondeditionofTheatre toriography withoutinterrogatingthathistoriographyorthosesubjects. This conditionresem- rational andevidentiaryrules, legislatingwhatisplausible, legible, orlegitimatein Western his- “democracy” ofsubjectshidesitsincommensurableintelligibilitiesunderacloak “shared” ing thestrategiesthatareusedtodeterminewhatconstituteshistoricalevidence. Inshort, this gibility itselfmust, ashere, resultinanuninflectedcelebrationofpluralismwithoutquestion- Fragmentation thatdoesnotqueryincommensurateintelligibilitiesonthegroundofintelli- those historieswithrespecttoincommensurateintelligibilities, spatialities, andtemporalities. the unresolvedproblemofwritingglobaltheatrehistories, namely, thefragmentednatureof or O.B. Hardisoninthe20thcentury. These areimportantelisionsthatdrawattentionto eval representationalpracticeswerethesameasthoseadvancedbyE.K. Chambers, Karl Young, sentation intheQuemQuearitisandTheRegularis Concordia, asif21st-centuryviewsofmedi- our viewofrepresentationalpracticesinGreece. Absent, too, isscholarshipquestioningrepre- dismissal ofGeraldElse’sstatementsabout Aristotle’s Poetics, whichIbelievehavereshaped mation andenunciativemodalitiesof “tragedy” and “comedy” isabsent. This isevidentinthe ions thatcallthesolidityofenterpriseintoquestion. Forexample, adiscussionofthefor However, thetreatmentof Western theatrehistoryinthisvolumeoffersasetofcommon opin- non-Western theatrebyCarolFisherSorgenfreiandPhillipZarrilliareawelcomeaddition. ing withtraditional Western approachestotheatrehistoryisvaluable;thusthechapterson queer theory, cognitivestudies. ­interpretive approach, e.g., phenomenology, speech-acttheory, feministandgendertheory, Introducing non-Western temporalitiesandspatialitiesplacingthemonanequalfoot- [1978]) thatepistemologicalchoice isalwayspriorto “doing history,” orSueMorgan’s accordingly, alwaysmoderatedbythefivecognitive categoriesitemploys, a pluralismofhistoricalapproaches, whichthevolume repeatedlyavows, is, a “middle coursebetweenpositivismandrelativism” (7). The desiretoaccept conditions andconstraintsofpossibleknowledge” (1, 23), whichhelocatesin is nonethelesscommittedtothe “pursuit oftruthaboutthepastwithin cilable conflictbetweenfoundationalistandrhetoricalhistorians, Postlewait (225). Aware ofthecontestednaturehistoricalknowledge andtheirrecon- “abiding factors, issues, andconditionsthatweallfaceastheatrehistorians” His aimistofocushistoriographicaldiscoursetowardthe “twelve cruxes,” or the authorsofTheatre Historiography foraformulaicuseofperiodconcepts.) torical time lish aclearclassificationthatallowsonetogiveorderandsequencehis- of whatconstitutesthehistoricalandtheatricaleventaswelltoestab- Postlewait’s missiontoturntheatrehistoriographyintoanempiricalstudy The Cambridge Introductionto Theatre Historiographyreflects Thomas — thus, setupthecriteriaforperiodization. (Postlewaitcriticizes - Books 211

- — (1969; of Knowledge Archaeology historical

The opportunity to review these three works together creates a melancholy sense of theatre The opportunity to review these three works together creates a melancholy sense Besides espousing notions of historiography that have long since been undermined, long since been undermined, that have notions of historiography Besides espousing Representing the Past: Essays in Performance Historiography, edited by Historiography, in Performance Essays the Past: Representing archives; that we need to pay attention to the mediating effects of succes- archives; that we need to pay attention to records; that we need to offer a sive waves of appropriation of events and variations registering different complementary view of time that allows for a particular culture; that new com- formations of lived and historical times in spatial and temporal implications munication media tools and live video have can mean is defined by disci- for theatre and performance; that what space are not passive depositories; plinarity and medium-specificity; that archives no singular or essential identity; or that we are always that we need to acknowledge that there is These and unreliable historical representations. confronted with a complex mixture of reliable the essays fol- Ultimately, of the object of study. insights are a useful reminder of the palimpsest and space, by narrative concepts of time and space, low a trajectory delimited by absolute time recognition or mis- and by the politics of cultural studies, of cognitive “objectivity” by the new of histo- Absent from these performances of visibility. reading of that which appears in the field Ankersmit As Frank mission of historical research. riography is an examination of the goal and (1994:179). it” rather than investigate think about the past, “The time has come for us to puts it, and narrative could identity, space, time, archive, A careful exploration of the thinking about lead us to that place. in The 40 years ago, Over historiography as a stalled enterprise. Postlewait’s narrative offers a series of underexplored claims about historiographic theories claims about historiographic of underexplored narrative offers a series Postlewait’s Marxism, for example. At the same time, it promotes axiomatic procedures (e.g., the 12 cruxes procedures (e.g., promotes axiomatic it the same time, At for example. Marxism, only to return to asser discourse, the aporia of historical 7) that ostensibly respect in chapter “basic are insistence that there The (268). of historical thinking” “basic conditions tions about and substitutes assertion from doubt, insulates the enterprise of historical thinking” conditions in the protocols of historical “I want to insist that we must ground ourselves as in: for thought, in the process of reconstructing in this volume is grounded “Historiography” (268). research” trans- reliability of eyewitnesses, the authenticity of sources and the determining past events, placing historical events in appro- developing supporting evidence, facts, forming artifacts into and, of possibility and plausibility, arguments based upon principles constructing priate context, possibly be wrong with such a mission, What could reliable research methods. following finally, might ask? the naive researcher of 15 essays is a compilation Thomas Postlewait, Charlotte Canning and What and narrative. identity, space, time, archive, grouped in five sections: space, time, of any concepts of the archive, is troubling is the near-absence up historiography and offer new or narrative that would open identity, many of the familiar topics of historiograph- be sure, To modes of thinking. the essays for example, consider, The reader may ical discourse are here. materials are an insuf- that promote the argument that theatre/performance of sources in theatre-­ ficiently studied and theorized category displace- explored epistemological acts and thresholds, Michel Foucault English version 1972), and recurrent redistributions, and macroscopic scales, microscopic ments and transformations, Michel de Certeau’s The Writing these ways of thinking about history, To architectonic unities. of History that (1975; English version 1988) added the challenge to historians to address writing the logic by a system of structures of belonging, representations that are marginalized conquers, have created. of attractions historical studies and the montage sites, of historic production of the treasures in Rather than catch phrases to drive positivist historians mad or commands to seek historians modes of thinking that revealed the ten- Foucault and de Certeau offered the archive, let me Through them, sion between history and culture in postmodern and postcolonial times. namely Adorno’s notion of determinate negation acquired a new lease on life, Theodor suggest, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

212 Books thinking scholars past timefortheatreandperformance historiographerstocatchupwithapastthatforward- of thought, nomatterhow dethronedordiscreditedthosemodesofthoughtmaybe. Itislong that historicalsubjects, botholdandnew, can orshouldfitcomfortablyinsidecherishedmodes works offerusexamplesofhowtoavoidreinscribinghistoriographical thinkingthatguarantees not onlybeenwritten, buthaveprovidedguidancetoscholars foralmosthalfacentury. These historiography, worksexploringthedialecticsofhistory (somereferencedinthisreview)have to regulatethemaccordingthetiredcanonsofby-gone Western thinking. Fortunatelyfor ing behave asthoughthediscussionsreferencedherenevertook place, returninginsteadtoaread- of knowledge. helps addressthose “naturalized” orreifiedcategories ofthoughtthathaveservedasthebasis moting somekindsofhistoricalknowledgeratherthanothers. Itisthismodeofinquirythat sentational practicesemployedtosecurethisandnotthatform, andhistory’sfunctioninpro- that shapeevents, therationalizationsusedtomakerecordsvisibleandintelligible, therepre- that cannotbecapturedbythemethodsofdiscipline, suchasthestructuresofbelonging tories glossedoverinprovidinganeventwithapast, butquestionstheexperiencesofpast imperfections, norasetofcriticismsdesignedtomakethesystembetter. Rather, sheargues, as Critique” (2007), acritiqueofanytheoreticalsystemisnotanexaminationitsflawsand meaningful, andhowtheybecomeworthyofrecord. As JoanScottputsit, in “History-writing tion ofthehistorian, therefore, toexaminehoweventsaredescribed, howtheyareconsidered the dangeristhattheseeventswilldisappearbybecomingindistinguishable. Itisthefunc- ment ofPalestiniansbyIsraelisoldiersandsettlerstoday, forthatmatter. Ratherthandenial, lions ofJews, gypsies, andhomosexuals” (xxv) will “deny thetruthof World War IIHolocaustinwhichGermanNazisexterminatedmil- riographical field” (1988:205). other,” weredistinguishablefromeachotheronlyasdifferentnarratives “within thesamehisto- book ortheprofessionalarticle, ontheonehand, andmagazineortelevisionnews, onthe earlier pointedout, thiskindofhistorywritingwasindistinguishablefromtheeveryday: “The posedly hiddensecretsof “a commonhistoryreadableandteachabletoall” (9). As deCerteau and thelinkingofwhatisinvisibleinsciencereadablenarrationtoallsup- hidden spaceintheformof “a storywithabeginningandanend, withcharactersandevents,” ple, theideaofalatentorderbeneathmanifestorder, theinscriptionofstructuresthis science, signifiedthroughtheadoptionofparaphernaliascientificinvestigation, forexam- the historicalnovel. Inordertomaintainitsposition, historyneededtogiveitselfthestatusofa establishment ofahistoricalsciencethatplaceditselfinoppositiontofictionalizedhistoryand that realityglossesoverinordertoassignthempresentintelligibility([1947]2002). that historiographyconfrontstheinadequationbetweenobjectsandthoseaspectsof These threevolumesfailtograpplewiththenatureofhistory/historiography itselfand Historiography, whichconcernsthearrangementofrecord, focusesnotonlyonthehis- time andsubjecttoreview. (2007:34–35) nizing categoriesofouridentitiesarebasedandtogivethemahistory, soplacingthemin they havesecured. [...] The attemptistomakevisiblethepremisesuponwhichorga- how theyhavecomeintobeing, whatrelationshipstheyhaveconstituted, whatpower Critique oughttomakeusuncomfortablebyaskingwhatthesourcesofthosevaluesare, The danger, then, isnot, astheauthorsofTheatre Histories: An Introduction putit, thatpeople In — (1992;Englishversion1994)JacquesRancièrespeaksaboutthe The NamesofHistory worse, anadvocacy — in ourfieldandothers — of historythatacknowledgesnon-Western timesandspaces, only — — long agoputinfrontofthem. or denythegenocideinRwandatreat- ihl Kobialka —Michal Books 213 virtuality. virtuality. administrator. administrator. Keith Jenkins, Sue Morgan, Sue Morgan, Keith Jenkins, By Herbert Ann Arbor: Blau. A Journey through Other Other through A Journey

Translated by Hassan Melehy. Melehy. by Hassan Translated of Knowledge. The Names of History: On the Poetics 1994. Jacques. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: Pantheon. Alan Sheridan. New York: Trans. of Knowledge. Archaeology 1972. Michel.

and Alun Munslow. New York: Routledge. York: New Alun Munslow. and Bobbs-Merrill. York: New and Konrad von Moltke. Iggers Georg G. Gunzelin Schmid Noerr, trans. Edmund Jephcott. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. CA: Stanford University Stanford, Jephcott. Edmund trans. Noerr, Gunzelin Schmid California Press. of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis: University Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, of Discourse. Tropics The 1978. Hayden. White, eds. of History, Theory and Practice In The the State.” Theory of “The Idealistic 1973. Leopold. von Ranke, References . Ed. Fragments Philosophical Dialectic of Enlightenment: 2002. (1947) Horkheimer. and Max Theodor, Adorno, of Berkeley: University of Metaphor. Rise and Fall The Tropology: 1994. History and Frank R. Ankersmit, University Press. Columbia York: New Conley. Tom Trans. of History. Writing The 1988. Michel. de Certeau, Foucault, eds. In Manifestos for History, as Critique.” “History-writing 2007. Joan. Scott, New York: Routledge. York: New Manifestos for History. 2007. eds. Alun Munslow, and Sue Morgan, Keith, Jenkins, Rancière,

Reality Principles: From the Absurd to the Virtual. Virtual. to the Absurd the Reality Principles: From More Books TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 2012. Summer (T214) 56:2 Review Drama The TDR: Michal Kobialka is Associate Dean for Faculty and Professor of Theatre in the Department of Theatre Department in the of Theatre of Theatre and Professor is Associate for Faculty Kobialka Dean Michal is the author of He of Minnesota. at the University and Dance Arts My Body: Is This 1993); of California Press, 1944–1990 (University Essays and Manifestos, Spaces: 1999), and Further Press, of Michigan Ages (University Early Middle in the Practices Representational 2009). [email protected] Press, of Minnesota (University Theatre Kantor’s on, Nothing: Tadeusz Technology of Institute Massachusetts the and University York New The collection has an autobiographical accent, implicitly weaving together an ontology of implicitly weaving together an ontology The collection has an autobiographical accent, and university ­ teacher, director, ­theatre through Blau’s experiences as scholar, such as the terrorist attacks of historical events, some address specific Among the 20 essays, or the 2007 controversy and Crisis: Homeland Security and the Noble Savage,” “Art 9/11 in to The Pope “Blessings at the University of Minnesota in Witch and the over Dario Fo’s The Pope projects by addressing the work Other essays expand on Blau’s earlier theoretical and .” the Witch the role of the audience and the notion of community, directing and acting, of Samuel Beckett, Broad in scope, and the question of liveness and the relationship between theatre and history. of one of the this collection is a rich contribution to the field and offers a fresh look at the work most well-known scholars in theatre and performance studies. University of Michigan Press, 2011; 300 pp. $85.00 cloth, $35.00 paper, e-book available. $35.00 paper, $85.00 cloth, 2011; 300 pp. University of Michigan Press, brings together , Virtual to the Absurd the Reality Principles: From Herbert Blau’s latest work, on topics ranging from Strindberg to ­ essays written at the turn of the millennium Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021

214 Books written byanexperienceddirectorwhohasworkedextensivelyacrossShakespeare’soeuvre. Noble’s bookwillproveveryusefultotheatrepractitionersofalllevelsasahands-onapproach comedies, andtragediesaswellthedevelopmentofcharacterpartactor’scraft. guage inabroadercontextbyconsideringthewayitfunctionsprose, soliloquies, dialogues, these differentaspects. The chaptersinthesecondhalfofbooksituateShakespeare’slan- ter offersexamplesfromvariousplaysaswelltechniquesthathelpelucidateandpropup phor; metreandpulse;lineendings;wordplay;vocabulary;shapestructure. Eachchap- devotes sevenchapterstokeypracticalaspectsofShakespeareanlanguage:apposition;meta- Shakespeare. The authorbeginswithahistoricaloverviewofShakespeare’swritingsandthen methodology, andalsohighlightstheimportanceoflanguagehearingwhenworkingwith sion betweenShakespeare’s “outside-in” approachtoactingversusStanislavsky’s “inside-out” all backgroundsinterestedinShakespeare’swork. Nobleemphasizestheproductiveten- Adrian Noble’sHowtoDoShakespeare isapracticalhandbookforactorsanddirectorsof Written bytheformerartisticdirectorandchiefexecutiveofRoyalShakespeareCompany, cloth, $30.95paper. presence. The following sectionconsiders “Artificial Intelligence” inconversation withtwoof engages witharchitecture, builtandprojectedenvironments, aswellfashion, games, andtele- ­digital experience, tactility, andartificialintelligence. “Digital Environments, Wearable Spaces,” tion. “The Interactive Paradigm” followswithacloserlookatinteraction intermsofkinesthetic sideration ofdanceandtechnologiesmotionincludingthe camera, theprojector, andanima- 15 transgenic art, artificialsystems, andprogramming, amongothers. Thebookismadeupof dance, andartspracticeinauguratedbytheintroduction ofnewtechnologies:­ tic casestudies. Birringerisconcernedwithdigitalperformance andthechangesintheatre, performing arts, combiningahistoricalanalysisofnew performancetechnologiesandartis- Performance, Technology, andScienceisadetailedstudyofhuman-machineinterfaceswithinthe Publications, 2008;332pp. $24.95paper. tioners andstudents. actor training, cognitivescience, andtheatrepsychologyaswellprofessionalpracti- philosophically. This bookwillbeastrongcontributiontoscholarsinterestedinactingtheory, acting handbook, Soto-Morettiniisreallyconcernedwithwhatacting, bothpracticallyand while thelastthreebeginincorporatingmorerecentresearchfromsciences. Morethanan and “And Where Am I?” The firsttwochaptersfollowanestablishedphilosophicaltrajectory, ACTING?,” “WhatWasI Thinking?,” Feeling?,”I “HowAm “WhatWere YOU Thinking?” training. The bookcomprisesfivechapters, whicheachturnsonaparticularquestion: “Am I research incognitivescienceandpsychologywhilequestioningthetraditionallanguageofactor and actingstudios, Soto-Morettiniseekstoupdateactingtheorybyincorporatingthelatest ical questionsthatsuchworkinvokes. Anchored byavastsetofexperiencesinconservatories Philosophical Actoraddressesthegapbetweenactor’sworkandbroaderphilosoph- The the LiverpoolInstituteforPerforming Arts, amongotherinstitutions, DonnaSoto-Morettini’s Drawing onherexperiencesasHeadof Acting attheCentralSchoolofSpeechandDrama How toDoShakespeare. Performance, Technology, and Science. Artists. The Philosophical Actor: A Practical MeditationforPracticing Theatre ­chapters organizedin5parts. Partone, “Moving through Technologies,” isahistoricalcon- By DonnaSoto-Morettini. London:IntellectLtd., 2010;224pp. $30.00paper. By Adrian Noble. London:Routledge, 2010;262pp. $115.00 By JohannesBirringer. New York: PAJ interactivity, Books 215 - —Sebastián Calderón Bentin [email protected] Bentin Calderón —Sebastián

TDR: The Drama Review 56:2 (T214) Summer 2012. ©2012 2012. Summer (T214) 56:2 Review Drama The TDR: sity of the field of digital performance by providing direct engagement with current artists direct engagement by providing field of digital performance sity of the this a genealogy of approach that traces a historical while incorporating the field, working in and creative practice. evolving field of thought Technology of Institute Massachusetts the and University York New the most promising artists currently working in the field of digital creation: Paul Kaiser and Paul Kaiser and field of digital creation: working in the artists currently the most promising a and neuroaesthetics from transgenic bio-art investigates “Biotechnologies” Marc Downie. cellular performance biology and account the role of molecular taking into critical position, the growing diver acknowledges and Science Technology, Performance, performance. within digital Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_r_00180 by guest on 01 October 2021