Theater in a Post-Truth World: Texts, Politics, and Performance

This is the first book to examine how the concept and disagreements around “post-truth” have been explored in the world of theater and performance. This ranges from the plays of Caryl Churchill, Anne Washburn, and David Henry Hwang, to the inherent theatricality of press conferences, interviews and protests that embrace the confusion created by “post-truth” to muddy issues and deflect blame, to theatrical performance, where the nature of truth is challenged through staged visuals which run counter to what the audience hears, provoking a debate about where the truth actually lies.
With contributions by scholars from around the world, Theater in a Post-Truth World considers a wide array of examples from American and British drama and politics, Australian theater, West African politics, and the work of performance artist Marina Abramovic. Together these provide a glimpse into how the theater in its many forms provides a venue to raise critical awareness and encourage critical thinking about the ubiquity of “post-truth.”