Cirrus@Austlit

'This article argues that when actors and directors use an 'affect-first' approach to performance, they are able to build an alternative semiotic that allows distinctly feminine/ist meaning to be created in the rehearsal room and shared in performance. This feminine/ist strategy for meaning- creation requires makers to feel first and think second, thus problematising the patriarchal Cartesian hierarchies of mind/body, and opening a space for affect and the body to be centralised in the creation of on-stage meaning. Using Fraught Outfit's 2012-13 production of 'Persona' as a case study, I contend that working at the intersections of feminist theatre theory, affect theory and 'ecriture feminine' allows feminine/ist theatre-makers to signify a broader and deeper range of meaning in and with the female body than otherwise possible with an approach that prioritises traditional theatre semiotics.'  (Publication abstract)

'Australian classics have been surging onto our stages of late: Matthew Lutton and Tom Wright’s acclaimed adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock recently enjoyed success in London as well as Australia; Andrew Bovell’s stage version of The Secret River toured the country to critical acclaim; and Leah Purcell’s adaptation of Henry Lawson’s The Drover’s Wifeis one of the most lauded Australian playscripts in recent memory. Kate Mulvany’s masterful adaptation of Ruth Park’s The Harp in the Southtrilogy – whose sprawling two-part, six-and-a-half-hour form is reminiscent of Nick Enright’s stage version of Cloudstreet – stands alongside these productions as an empathetic landmark event in the Australian theatrical canon.'  (Introduction)