Taking into account the ephemeral nature of performance, this book develops innovative approaches to the reconstruction of historical staging practices through the lens of Spanish classical theatre. Laura L. Vidler emphasizes the need to take into account not only structures of culture, but also the human capacity to manipulate those structures for both individual and group expression. Through a detailed analysis of approaches to space, the body, the stage object, and the spectator in the comedia, it is possible to discern analyzable artifacts that permit us to reconstruct significant aspects of early modern stagings. Vidler argues that performance theory itself will be the locus of the next breakthroughs in interpretive studies because it actively engages and intertwines both objective and subjective modes of interpretation.
Introduction: Critical Theory and the Reconstruction of Early Modern Performance 1. Revisiting Comedia Reconstruction in a Revisionist Performance Environment 2. The Habitus of Corral Scenic Space 3. (Re)Placing the Corral Body 4. Staging the Object 5. Women/Objects on the Modern and Early Modern Stage: Two Exceptional Case Studies 6. Adaptation, Translation, and the Relevance of Classical Theatrical Performance 7. Theory Performance