Performance Economies

The newly established Performance economies group seek to convene at annual conferences every year to investigate how materialist methodologies and theorisations of political economy can generate new investigations into theatre and performance.

Mission Statement 

The Performance economies group seek to investigate how materialist methodologies and theorisations of political economy can generate new investigations into theatre and performance. The necessity to critically consider performance through an economic lens has become even more acute in a context where capitalist modes of human organisation contribute to the ever rising threats posed by the climate crisis and racial capitalism, undermining people’s ability to create and enjoy a liveable life  Contributions might consider how performance production and reception can illuminate ideological formations, labour and employment practices in the creative industries including question of social reproduction, cultural materialist approaches to institutions and modes of funding and cultural policy as well as how performance studies might conversely shed light on every day economies and modes of economic circulation.

Working group Convenors

Caoimhe Mader McGuinness (Kingston University London) c.madermcguinness@kingston.ac.uk

Clio Unger (Royal central School of Speech and Drama, London) Clio.Unger@cssd.ac.uk

Working group email

Email: performanceeconomies@gmail.com

Working plane to be confirmed at 2025 IFT conference in Cologne:

Operate the Working Group at the next 4 IFTR conferences

Interim event to be hosted from London (hybrid for global access)

A journal special issue in three years (title tbc)