Lecture: Performance, Emotions and Bodies – Emotions of the Audience

In the lecture Performance, Emotions and Bodies – Emotions of the Audience, Professor of Theatre Studies Dirk Gindt introduces theories of affect and performance. A performance analysis is not only about intellectually trying to understand how a theatre production creates meaning, but the emotional and affective experience of the audience also plays a role. These affective relationships between the audience and the actors or between audience members can form the seeds of a form of social change or activism.

The lecture is part of the course Performance, känslor och kroppar – en introduktion till performancestudier organised by LUST in cooperation with the University of Helsinki’s open university.

The course considers the theoretical and historical perspectives of theatre and performance. During the course, the performances at Hangö Teaterträff are considered and discussed in depth and analytically, with a particular focus on the audience’s emotional experience of a performing arts event and how this experience is shaped by body and context.

The lectures are open to all and do not require prior registration. Information on how to register for the course as a whole can be found on the course page (in Swedish). The second open lecture of the course, Performance, Emotions and Bodies – Bodies of the Audience, will be held on Saturday 8 June at 10 am.