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In the beginning of the 21st century, European theatre-makers have sought to consider the disastrous events of the 20th century as the unfinished business of the contemporary. In this book, Kear argues that by thinking through the logic of the event, contemporary performance offers an affective interrogation of ´the event´ of the European century.

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Introduction 1. Song of the Century: Jan Lauwers and Needcompany´s Sad Face/Happy Face Trilogy 2. Naming the Event: Alvis Hermanis and Jaunais R?gas Te?tris´s Sonja 3. Falling into History: Romeo Castellucci and Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio´s Tragedia Endogonidia and Divina Commedia 4. Theatre in the Open: Mike Pearson and Mike Brookes´ The Persians and Coriolan/us , National Theatre Wales 5. De-creating the Step of the World: Faustin Linyekula and Studios Kabako´s La création du monde 1923-2012 , Pour en finir avec Bérénice , and More more more . . . Future Afterword

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Adrian Kear is Professor of Theatre and Performance at Aberystwyth University, UK. His writing focuses on contemporary theatre, performance, politics and philosophy. Previous publications include International Politics and Performance (with Jenny Edkins), Psychoanalysis and Performance (with Patrick Campbell), and Mourning Diana: Nation, Culture and the Performance of Grief (with Deborah Lyn Steinberg).

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