Theatre, Sacrifice, Ritual: Exploring Forms of Political Theatre

Taylor & Francis

An acclaimed theatre historian here presents a radical re-definition of ritual theatre in a study of 20th century performative culture. Offering both perfomative and semiotic analyses of performances, this is a revolutionary approach to the study. > \nIn this fascinating volume, acclaimed theatre historian Erika Fischer-Lichte reflects on the role and meaning accorded to the theme of sacrifice in Western cultures as mirrored in particular fusions of theatre and ritual. Theatre, Sacrifice, Ritual presents a radical re-definition of ritual theatre through analysis of performances as diverse as: \n--Max Reinhardt's new people's theatre \n--the mass spectacles of post-revolutionary Russia \n--American Zionist pageants \n--the Olympic Games. \nIn offering both a performative and a semiotic analysis of such performances, Fischer-Lichte expertly demonstrates how theatre and ritual are fused in order to tackle the problem of community-building in societies characterised by loss of solidar.