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Whom to represent, in which way, and with what right? The recent crisis of representation in democracy has also hit the representation machine of theatre at its core. Theatre, long considered to be the political art form, now struggles with how to relate adequately to society. Often it is either trapped into the content-driven world of representation or indulges in the belief of the transformative power of aesthetics alone.

Not Just a Mirror maps a movement of artists from all over the world searching for the political theatre of today. A theatre that wants to engage with society both in its contents as in its form, creating a contemporary community in which social and political actions can be deployed and in which societies in their - actual or possible - varieties are played out, performed, expanded, tested, or even invented.

Not Just a Mirror is comprised of eight essays, two interviews, and 15 case studies of political theatre makers, and investigates the performing arts as a political laboratory of the present. It explores how theatre, dance, and performance reveal their essential agnosticism, provoking the potential to actively change society rather than merely serving as a cover-up for the dysfunctions, fractures, and wounds of society.

With contributions by Julian Boal, Boris Buden, Matan Cohen, Annie Dorsen, Galit Eilat, Monika Ginterdorfer, John Jordan, Alexander Karschnia, Hervé Kimenyi, Beatrix Kricsfalusi, Bojana Kunst, Hans-Thies Lehmann, Judith Malina, Florian Malzacher, Tala Jamal Manassah, Oliver Marchart, Carol Martin, Lloyd Nyikadzino, Giulia Palladini, Roman Pawlowski, Jeroen Peeters, Goran Sergej Pristas, Christian Römer, Sylvia Sasse, Francesco Scasciamacchia, Michael Sengazi, Vassilis Tsianos, Margarita Tsomou, Benjamin Wihstutz and Franck Edmond Yao.

A House on Fire publication.

Der englischsprachige Band Not Just a Mirror setzt sich mit grundlegenden Fragen des
politischen Theaters in der Gegenwart auseinander und stellt künstlerisch-politische Strategien und Praktiken von Theatermachern aus aller Welt vor - u. a. Chto Delat, Milo Rau, Kretakör, Faustin Linyekula, Public Movement, Christoph Schlingensief, Akira Takayama.
Mit Beiträgen von Julian Boal, Boris Buden, Matan Cohen, Annie Dorsen, Galit Eilat, Monika Ginterdorfer, John Jordan, Alexander Karschnia, Hervé Kimenyi, Beatrix Kricsfalusi, Bojana Kunst, Hans-Thies Lehmann, Judith Malina, Florian Malzacher, Tala Jamal Manassah, Oliver Marchart, Carol Martin, Giulia Palladini, Roman Pawlowski, Jeroen Peeters, Goran Sergej Pristas, Christian Römer, Sylvia Sasse, Francesco Scasciamacchia, Michael Sengazi, Vassilis Tsianos, Margarita Tsomou, Franck Edmond Yao u. a.

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Malzacher, Florian
Florian Malzacher studierte Angewandte Theaterwissenschaft in Gießen. Er ist Künstlerischer Leiter des Impulse Theater Festivals sowie freier Dramaturg und Autor. Von 2006 bis 2012 war er Leitender Dramaturg des Festivals steirischer herbst in Graz. Er war u.a. (Ko)Kurator der Internationalen Sommerakademie am Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (2002 & 2004), der Reihe "Performing Lectures" in Frankfurt, von "Truth is Concrete in Graz (2012) sowie der performativen Konferenz "Aneignungen" im Ethnologischen Museum Berlin/Humboldt Lab (2015) und von "Artist Organisations International" am HAU Berlin in 2015. http://florianmalzacher.tumblr.com/

Malzacher, Florian
Florian Malzacher studierte Angewandte Theaterwissenschaft in Gießen. Er ist Künstlerischer Leiter des Impulse Theater Festivals sowie freier Dramaturg und Autor. Von 2006 bis 2012 war er Leitender Dramaturg des Festivals steirischer herbst in Graz. Er war u.a. (Ko)Kurator der Internationalen Sommerakademie am Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (2002 & 2004), der Reihe "Performing Lectures" in Frankfurt, von "Truth is Concrete in Graz (2012) sowie der performativen Konferenz "Aneignungen" im Ethnologischen Museum Berlin/Humboldt Lab (2015) und von "Artist Organisations International" am HAU Berlin in 2015. www.florianmalzacher.tumblr.com www.festivalimpulse.de

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