The Provocation of the Senses in Contemporary Theatre

Download or read book The Provocation of the Senses in Contemporary Theatre written by Stephen Di Benedetto and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-01-13 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Di Benedetto considers theatrical practice through the lens of contemporary neuroscientific discoveries in this provoking study, which lays the foundation for considering the physiological basis of the power of theatre practice to affect human behavior. He presents a basic summary of the ways that the senses function in relation to cognitive science and physiology, offering an overview of dominant trends of discussion on the realm of the senses in performance. Also presented are examples of how those ideas are illustrated in recent theatrical presentations, and how the different senses form the structure of a theatrical event. Di Benedetto concludes by suggesting the possible implications these neuroscientific ideas have upon our understanding of theatrical composition, audience response, and the generation of meaning.