Acting Spectating and the Unconscious

<p>From Aristotle’s theory of tragic <i>katharsis</i> onwards theorists of the theatre have long engaged with the question of what spectatorship entails. This question has directly or indirectly often been extended to the investigation of acting. </p><p></p><p>Acting Spectating and the Unconscious approaches the unconscious aspects of spectatorship and acting afresh. Interweaving psychoanalytic descriptions of processes such as transference unconscious phantasy and alpha-function with an in-depth survey of theories of spectating and acting from thinkers such as Brecht Diderot Rousseau and Plato Maria Grazia Turri offers a significant insight into the emotions inherent in both the art of the actor and the spectator’s experience. </p><p></p><p>A compelling investigation of the unconscious communication between spectators and actors this volume is a must-read for students and scholars fascinated by theatre spectatorship. </p>