New Theatrology and Performance Studies: Starting Points Towards a Dialogue

Abstract

New theatrology is a field of research not in two dimensions (theory-practice) but in three: theory-history-practice. “Theory” can refer to two genetically different metadiscourses: the theory of the theatre that artists create through their work; and the theory about the theatre made by scholars and critics. New theatrology attempts to account for both. While new theatrology and performance studies share several presuppositions, the notion of performance needs to be better defined, especially from a historical point of view.