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Beyond Anthropo-Scenes: Contemporary European Performance and ‘The Human’
This event has now finished.
School of Arts and Creative Technologies East, Campus East, University of York (Map)
Event details
In theatre and performance, the human is generally understood as ‘centre-stage’ – often literally. But with the escalation of threats posed by technological advancements and climate and ecological crisis, ‘the human’ is increasingly understood as unstable and precarious. Far from being at the centre of the universe (the position assumed by individualist, Enlightenment-based humanism), decades of postmodern and postdramatic theatre practices have unsettled the human from its historical centre, or even pushed it offstage altogether. Looking beyond performances that use human-oriented narratives to explore the socio-cultural effects of technology and the wider hyperobject of climate crisis, this hybrid two-day conference asks: what might be learned by bringing the fields of ecodramaturgy and posthumanism together to interrogate possible meanings and roles of ‘the human’ at a point in history when history faces its dissolution?
The way ahead necessitates new and creative modes of being and acting ‘human’. Through a combination of papers, provocations, performances, workshops and discussions, this conference explores how contemporary European performance might interrogate and go beyond normative understandings of ‘the human’. In the interests of encouraging collaboration and conversation, the conference is moving away from the model of keynote speakers and towards more discursive frameworks. The centrepiece of the conference on Monday evening will be a live performance of The Talent (2023) by Action Hero and Deborah Pearson: an award-winning production that explores the possible legacy of the voice in a posthuman future. The conference will also host a screening of the Finnish theatre company WAUHAUS’s sky every day (2022) by Pipsa Lonka, a critically acclaimed performance that decentres the human while emphasising the presence of nonhuman life.
The evening performance of The Talent is included in the main conference registration for in-person delegates. We unfortunately will not be able to stream the performance for online attendees at this time.
All presenters and panellists need to register in advance.
*Deadline for registration: 15th August 2025*
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact: beyondanthroposcenes@gmail.com.
Venue details
Wheelchair accessible
Hearing loop