Virtual Theatres: An Introduction

Welcome to theatre of the 21st century, in which everything -except for the viewer can be simulated. Virtual Theatresis the first full-length book of its kind to offer an investigation of the interface between theatre performance and digital arts. Through discussion of a variety of artists and performers - including Stelarc, Orlan, Forced Entertainment, Merce Cunningham and Blast Theory - Gabriella Giannachi analyses the aesthetic concerns of current computer arts practices and shows how they radically question our conventional uses and definitions of time, space, place, character, identity and realness. The book not only allows for a re-interpretation of what is possible in the world of performance practice but also demonstrates how 'virtuality' has come to represent a major parameter for our understanding and experience of contemporary art and life.

Gabriella Giannachi is a lecturer in Theatre Studies at the University of Lancaster.