The Art of Assembly surveys theatre today to demonstrate its political potential in both form and content. Drawing on numerous examples from around the world in performance, visual arts,
and activist art, curator and author Florian Malzacher examines works that draw on the particular possibilities of theatre to navigate the space between representation and participation, at once playfully and with sincerity. In a time of wide-ranging crisis, The Art of Assembly is a plea for a strong definition of the political and for a theatre that is not content merely to reflect the world's ills, but instead acts to change them.
»The Art of Assembly. Political Theatre Today«: Book Talk
Curator and Author Florian Malzacher in Conversation with Art Critic Claire Bishop. Watch on YouTube!
Press reviews:
»There is much to learn from Malzacher’s approach to political theatre in this book. First, it analyzes politics in relation to dramaturgy and contemporary performance. (…) Second, Malzacher evaluates artistic strategies and activism to encompass something like a dramaturgy of assembly – the dramaturgical refunctioning of the everyday to make new propositions for living. (…) Last, and perhaps most importantly, Malzacher’s book is an argument for an epic mode of artistic practice.« Peter Eckersall, PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art
»A knowledgeable foray through the landscape of political theatre.« Shirin Sojitrawalla, die tageszeitung (taz)
»A very good overview of current postdramatic events, bringing together a great deal of empirical material.« Simon Strauss, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
»A stimulating book that brings you up to date with the latest discursive thinking without overwhelming you with theory. An ideal side effect.« Karin Cerny, profil
»Malzacher’s analysis is clever, enjoyable and accessible even for the theory-shy. A briefing on the state of the discourse and a declaration of love for theatre.« Suzanne Zahnd, Die Wochenzeitung (WOZ)
Florian Malzacher revitalizes the concept of political theatre at exactly the right moment. An exciting read! Matthias Lilienthal
»Rarely have the pitfalls of representation as the cornerstone of theatre been explained so elegantly.« Berliner Zeitung
»An important book, one that every theatre scholar should read and make use of in their seminars. Twenty years after Hans-Thies Lehmann's Postdramatic Theatre, it is almost just as indispensable as a reference point for current approaches.« Peter M. Boenisch, Aarhus Universitet