Dramas of the performative society: Theatre at the end of its tether

The emergence of new performance paradigms in the second half of the twenti eth century is only now being recognized as a fresh phase in human history. The creation of the new discipline, or, as some would call it, the anti-di scipline of performance studies in universities is just a small chapter in a ubiquitous story. Everywhere performance is becoming a key quality of end eavour, whether in science and technology, commerce and industry, governmen t and civics, or humanities and the arts. We are experiencing the creation of what Baz Kershaw here calls the 'performative society'--a society in whi ch the human is crucially constituted through performance. But in such a so ciety, what happens to the traditional notions and practices of drama and t heatre? In this inaugural lecture, Kershaw looks for signs and portents of the future of drama and theatre in the performative society, finds mostly d issolution and deep panic, and tentatively suggest the need for a radical t urn that will embrace the promiscuity of performance.