Theory Trouble
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Transcript of Theory Trouble
THEORY TROUBLE
Towards a Manifesto for ‘Critical’ Feminism, Theory and Theatre Relations
Elaine Aston
Looking Back
Janelle Reinelt and Joseph Roach, Critical Theory and Performance
(1992)Sue-Ellen Case, Feminism and
Theatre (1988)The Feminist Spectator as Critic (Jill
Dolan, 1988)
‘The Race for Theory’ and the ‘Theory Machine’
Barbara Christian, ‘The Race for Theory’, Feminist Studies, 14:1 (Spring, 1988), 69-79
Nicole Ward Jouve, White Woman Speaks with Forked Tongue: Criticism as Autobiography (1991)
Michèle Barrett and Anne Philips, Introduction, DestabilizingTheory: Contemporary Feminist Debates
(1992)Janelle Reinelt, ‘Navigating Postfeminism: Writing Out of
the Box’, in Elaine Aston and Geraldine Harris, eds, Feminist Futures?(2006)
Jill Dolan, ‘Feminist Performance Criticism and the Popular: Reviewing Wendy Wasserstein’, Theatre
Journal, 60 (2008), 433-457Performance, Theory (2006)
A Manifesto for ‘Critical’ Feminism, Theory and Theatre Relations
Theoretical Hygiene – Loosen Up
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy and
Performativity (2003)
HOLD ON TO FEMINIST THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
ENGAGE WITH THE CATEGORY ‘WOMEN’
Avtar Brah and Ann Phoenix, ‘Ain’t I a Woman?: Revisiting
Intersectionality’, Journal of International Women’s Studies, 5:3
(May 2004), 75-86
OLD AND NEW – DESTABLISE
resist ‘assuming that later theory is therefore better theory, and that the best theory of all is the position from which we happen at the moment to
be speaking’(Barrett & Phillips )
RECOVER THE CONTEXTS OF THEATRE AND THEORY
‘when theory is not rooted in practice, it becomes prescriptive,
exclusive, elitish’(Christian)
YOU IN THE THEORY
‘women (or men) making theory out of what they actually think about
difference or gender or sexuality in the light of their own experience, of
what and who they are’(Ward )
THINK ‘AUDIENCE’
Jill Dolan, ‘Making a Spectacle, Making a Difference’, Theatre Journal
62 (2010), 561-565
REPAIR THE ‘DRAMA’ OF FEMINISM
OUT OF THEATRE NOT THEORY
‘having to embody ideas and create the world, writers [and artists]
cannot merely produce “one way ’”
(Christian )
UNCOVER THE KNOWLEDGE OF PRACTICE
BEWARE THE LOSS OF THE POLITICAL THEATRE
Janelle Reinelt, ‘Generational Shifts,’ Theatre Research International, 35:3
(October 2010 ,)
288 – 90
LOOK TO MAKE A FEMINIST DIFFERENCE
how it might be possible to get out of the trouble caused by theory’s ‘transcendent’
position and the totalizing drive towards anti-essentialist theorizing ;
how to activate critical-theoretical practices, strategies and tactics that labour in the interests of progressing feminism and
increasing the visibility of feminist theatre ;and how to make a creative, critical and
political difference by working across the theory/practice divide.
ENDS OF FEMINISM NOT THE END OF FEMINISM
Manifesto
T HEORETICAL HYGIENE – LOOSEN UPH OLD ON TO FEMINIST THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE E NGAGE WITH THE CATEGORY ‘WOMEN’O LD AND NEW – DESTABILISE R ECOVER THE CONTEXTS OF THEATRE AND THEORYY OU IN THE THEORY T HINK ‘AUDIENCE’R EPAIR THE ‘DRAMA’ OF FEMINISMO UT OF THEATRE NOT THEORYU NCOVER THE KNOWLEDGE OF PRACTICEB EWARE THE LOSS OF POLITICAL THEATREL OOK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCEE NDS OF FEMINISM NOT THE END OF FEMINISM