Theatre and Human Rights After 1945 ― Things Unspeakable

This volume investigates the rise of human rights discourses manifested in the global spectrum of theatre and performance since 1945. The supposedly 'unspeakable things' of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been consistently dissected by theatre practitioners seeking to challenge, educate and reform. Essays highlight the significant and unique role of theatre in challenging political, social and economic oppression; in recognizing trauma and taboo; acting as a protest and campaigning vehicle; and in raising awareness about life and death matters. Contributors create a passionate and provocative dialogue between the disciplines of theatre and performance, human rights, and trauma studies. Essays address topics such as disability, indigenous rights, discrimination, torture, gender violence, genocide and elder abuse, and contributors include world-leading experts Cathy Caruth and Catherine Cole. This is an indispensable book for students and academics committed to theatres of protest and political change.

Mary Luckhurst is Professor of Artistic Research and Creative Practice at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She co-founded the new Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of York, UK, and is a pioneer in practice as research. She is a playwright, director and an authority on articulating the processes and practices of writing, acting and directing for theatre. She is the author/editor of many books including Dramaturgy: A Revolution in Theatre, Theatre and Celebrity, 1660-2000, On Acting, On Directing, Playing for Real and Caryl Churchill. The Higher Education Academy awarded her a National Teaching Fellowship and made her an International Scholar in 2013 in recognition of her outstanding international contribution to teaching and research in drama and performance.

Emilie Morin is Lecturer in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, UK. She works on modern and contemporary British and Irish literature, theatre history, and European modernism. Her recent publications include Samuel Beckett and the Problem of Irishness and Theatre and Ghosts: Performance, Materiality and Modernity, co-edited with Mary Luckhurst.