About the Book: Applied Theatre: Aesthetics
Applied Theatre: Aesthetics re-examines how the idea of the aesthetic is
relevant to performance in social settings. The disinterestedness that
traditional aesthetics claims as a key characteristic of art makes little sense
when making performances with ordinary people, rooted in their lives and
communities, and with personal and social change as its aim. Yet practitioners
of applied arts know that their work is not reducible to social work, therapy or
education. Reconciling the simultaneous autonomy and heteronomy of art is the
problem of aesthetics in applied arts. Gareth Whites introductory essay reviews
the field, and proposes an interdisciplinary approach that builds