Aural/Oral Dramaturgies

Aural/Oral Dramaturgies: Theatre in the Digital Age focuses on the ''aural turn'' in contemporary theatre-making, examining a number of seemingly disparate trends that foreground speech and sound -- ''post-verbatim'' theatre, ''amplified storytelling'' (works using microphones and headphones), and ''gig theatre'' that incorporates live music performance.

Its main argument is that the dramaturgical underpinnings of these works contribute to an understanding of theatre as an extra-literary activity, greater than the centrality of the script that traditionally dominated many historical discussions. This quality is usually expressed in terms of the corporeality in dance and physical theatre, but the aural/oral turn gives an alternative viewpoint on the interplay between text and performance. The book''s case studies draw on the ways in which a range of theatre companies engage with the dramaturgy of speech and sound in their work. It is further acc