Queer Dramaturgies ─ International Perspectives on Where Performance Leads Queer

This international collection gathers together groundbreaking work on queer dramaturgies from new and established voices. Starting from the premise that live performance is experienced in a material, local context, the chapters analyse the intricate and complex workings of queer dramaturgy within specific venues, cities, nations or transnationally. The introduction deliberates on what it is that makes a dramaturgy queer, suggesting it is a weave that is more to do with the self-identity of the maker, the venue and wider context it takes place in, and the relationship with its audience, than simply its content and form. Dramaturgy, by its nature, is concerned with the relationship of an aesthetic work to its socio-political context, and the book's access to work taking place beyond the UK-US axis so dominant in writings on queer – including Lebanon, Turkey, Singapore and South Africa – opens up vital questions about what constitutes as queer, when and where.

Alyson Campbell is a theatre director and Head of Graduate Studies in Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne, Australia. She leads the Masters courses in Directing for Performance and Dramaturgy at the VCA. Her practice, teaching and research overlap in the areas of (queer) dramaturgy, gender and sexuality in performance, and HIV and AIDS in performance.

Stephen Farrier is a Principal Lecturer at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is the Course Leader for the Drama, Applied Theatre and Education undergraduate degree. He teaches and researches queer performance, gender, sexuality and performance. He also directs productions both at Royal Central and elsewhere.