Whom to represent in which way and with what right? The recent crisis of representation in
democracy has also hit the representation machine of theatre at its core. Theatre long
considered to be the political art form now struggles with how to relate adequately to
society. Often it is either trapped into the content-driven world of representation or indulges
in the belief of the transformative power of aesthetics alone. Not Just a Mirror maps a
movement of artists from all over the world searching for the political theatre of today. A
theatre that wants to engage with society both in its contents as in its form creating a
contemporary community in which social and political actions can be deployed and in which
societies in their - actual or possible - varieties are played out performed expanded tested
or even invented. Not Just a Mirror is comprised of eight essays two interviews and 15 case
studies of political theatre makers and investigates the performing arts as a political
laboratory of the present. It explores how theatre dance and performance reveal their
essential agnosticism provoking the potential to actively change society rather than merely
serving as a cover-up for the dysfunctions fractures and wounds of society. With
contributions by Julian Boal Boris Buden Matan Cohen Annie Dorsen Galit Eilat Monika
Ginterdorfer John Jordan Alexander Karschnia Hervé Kimenyi Beatrix Kricsfalusi Bojana
Kunst Hans-Thies Lehmann Judith Malina Florian Malzacher Tala Jamal Manassah Oliver
Marchart Carol Martin Lloyd Nyikadzino Giulia Palladini Roman Pawlowski Jeroen Peeters
Goran Sergej PristaS Christian Römer Sylvia Sasse Francesco Scasciamacchia Michael Sengazi
Vassilis Tsianos Margarita Tsomou Benjamin Wihstutz and Franck Edmond Yao. A House on Fire
publication. Der englischsprachige Band Not Just a Mirror setzt sich mit grundlegenden Fragen
des politischen Theaters in der Gegenwart auseinander und stellt künstlerisch-politische
Strategien und Praktiken von Theatermachern aus aller Welt vor - u. a. Chto Delat Milo Rau
Kretakör Faustin Linyekula Public Movement Christoph Schlingensief Akira Takayama. Mit
Beiträgen von Julian Boal Boris Buden Matan Cohen Annie Dorsen Galit Eilat Monika
Ginterdorfer John Jordan Alexander Karschnia Hervé Kimenyi Beatrix Kricsfalusi Bojana
Kunst Hans-Thies Lehmann Judith Malina Florian Malzacher Tala Jamal Manassah Oliver
Marchart Carol Martin Giulia Palladini Roman Pawlowski Jeroen Peeters Goran Sergej PristaS
Christian Römer Sylvia Sasse Francesco Scasciamacchia Michael Sengazi Vassilis Tsianos
Margarita Tsomou Franck Edmond Yao u. a.
