Contemporary Mise en Scène

'We have good reason to be wary of mise en scène, but that is all the more reason to question this wariness ... it seems that images from a performance come back to haunt us, as if to prolong and transform our experience as spectators, as if to force us to rethink the event, to return to our pleasure or our terror.' - Patrice Pavis, from the foreword Contemporary Mise en Scène is Patrice Pavis's masterful analysis of the role that staging has played in the creation and practice of theatre throughout history. This stunningly ambitious study considers: - the staged reading, at the frontiers of mise en scène; - scenography, which sometimes replaces staging; - the reinterpretation of classical and contemporary works; - the development of intercultural theatre and ritual; - new technologies and their usage live on the stage; - the postmodern practice of deconstruction. But it also applies sustained critical attention to the challenges of defining mise en scène, of tracking its development, and of exploring its possible futures. Joel Anderson's powerful new translation lucidly realises Pavis's investigation of the changing possibilities for stagecraft in the context of performance art, physical theatre and modern theory.

Patrice Pavis is Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Kent. He was formerly Professor of Theatre Studies at Paris VIII University. His Dictionary of the Theatre has been published in 30 different languages.

1 Where did mise en scène come from? 2 On the frontiers of mise en scène 3 The difference between mise en scène and performance 4 Tendencies in French scenography 5 The mise en jeu of contemporary texts 6 The intercultural trap: rituality and mise en scène in the video art of Guillermo Gómez-Peña 7 Theatre in another culture: a Korean example 8 Media on the stage 9 The deconstruction of postmodern mise en scène 10 Physical theatre and the dramaturgy of the actor 11 The splendour and the misery of interpreting the classics 12 Staging calamity: mise en scène and performance at Avignon 2005 13 Conclusions: Where is mise en scène going?