130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 | Visit our Auckland bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Physical Theatres

A Critical Introduction
By Simon Murray and John Keefe
0.0 (0 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction offers a comprehensive exploration of non-text-based theatre, encompassing experimental dance, mime, and physical performance. It traces the evolution of physical theatre from classical roots through to contemporary innovators such as DV8 Dance Theatre, Pina Bausch, and Jérôme Bel. The book delves into notable companies like Théâtre du Soleil and Complicite, and profiles influential figures in actor training including Jacques Lecoq and Anne Bogart. This edition introduces new discussions on technology's impact on the theatrical body, profiles additional practitioners such as Jerzy Grotowski and Punchdrunk, and examines emerging forms like circus performance and immersive theatre.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$9899
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for students, performers, and theatre practitioners interested in the theory and practice of physical theatre. It serves as a core academic text and a dynamic resource for those exploring innovative theatrical forms and actor training methods.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This new edition of Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction continues to provide an unparalleled overview of non-text-based theatre, from experimental dance to traditional mime. It synthesises the history, theory, and practice of physical theatres for students and performers in what is both a core area of study and a dynamic and innovative aspect of theatrical practice.

This comprehensive book:

  • Traces the roots of physical performance in classical and popular theatrical traditions
  • Looks at the Dance Theatre of DV8, Pina Bausch, Liz Aggiss, and Jérôme Bel
  • Examines the contemporary practice of companies such as Théâtre du Soleil, Complicite, and Goat Island
  • Focuses on principles and practices in actor training, with reference to figures such as Jacques Lecoq, Lev Dodin, Philippe Gaulier, Monika Pagneux, Etienne Decroux, Anne Bogart, and Joan Littlewood

Extensive cross-references ensure that Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction can be used as a standalone text or together with its companion volume, Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader, to provide an invaluable introduction to the physical in theatre and performance.

New to this edition:

  • A chapter on The Body and Technology, exploring the impact of digital technologies on the portrayal, perception, and reading of the theatre body, spanning from onstage technology to virtual realities and motion capture
  • Additional profiles of Jerzy Grotowski, Wrights and Sites, Punchdrunk, and Mike Pearson
  • Focus on circus and aerial performance, new training practices, immersive and site-specific theatres, and the latest developments in neuroscience, especially as these impact on the place and role of the spectator

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781138782112

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 December 2015

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Routledge

Edition: 2nd edition

Illustration: 25 Illustrations, black and white

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 174.0mm

Height: 246.0mm

Weight: 740g

Pages: 342

Collections

Arts & Culture John Keefe Non-Fiction Simon Murray

About the Author

Simon Murray is a performer, director and academic. He is currently Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK, where he taught Theatre Studies and Contemporary Performance until retiring in 2023. He is the author of Jacques Lecoq (2018), Performing Ruins (2020), Mime into Physical Theatre: a UK Cultural History 1970-2000 (with Mark Evans) (2023), and was co-founder and co-editor (until 2016) of the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training (TDPT) journal.

John Keefe is a director, dramaturg and academic. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and Academic Mentor in the AAD School, London Metropolitan University, UK. He is the author of papers on neurocognition and spectatorship in theatres, and Staging and Re-cycling: Retrieving, Reflecting and Re-framing the Archive (with Knut Ove Arntzen) (2023).

Also by John Keefe

View all
  • Physical Theatres
    Physical Theatres
    This new edition of Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction continues to provide an unparalleled overview of non-text-based theatre, from experimental dance to traditional mime. It synthesises the history, theory and practice of physical theatres for students and performers in what is both a core area of study and a dynamic and innovative aspect of theatrical practice. This comprehensive book: traces...
    By Simon Murray and John Keefe
    Hardback
    $34100
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Also by Simon Murray

View all
  • Legionnaire
    Legionnaire by Simon Murray is an enthralling memoir that takes readers deep into the harsh realities of a young Englishman's journey into one of the most enigmatic and formidable military forces in the world: the French Foreign Legion. In 1960, at just nineteen years old, Simon Murray decided to embark on an adventure that would forever change his life. He...
    By Simon Murray
    Paperback
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Physical Theatres
    Physical Theatres
    This new edition of Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction continues to provide an unparalleled overview of non-text-based theatre, from experimental dance to traditional mime. It synthesises the history, theory and practice of physical theatres for students and performers in what is both a core area of study and a dynamic and innovative aspect of theatrical practice. This comprehensive book: traces...
    By Simon Murray and John Keefe
    Hardback
    $34100
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    By Jane Ussher
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator of Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and Accent Aigu, comes I’ll Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 and immediately took the world by storm. I’ll...
    By Jacob Tierney
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Shirl's Pick Shirl's Pick
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    By Jon Toogood
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)—critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    By Edin Whitehead
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    By Monique Fiso
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Split Enz
    New Release
    Split Enz
    'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombie—percussionist, performer and the...
    By Michael Dwyer and Noel Crombie
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Artist's Way
    The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a transformative guidebook that has captivated millions, including luminaries such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Tim Ferriss. With its profound ability to inspire and elevate, this book invites readers to embark on an enriching creative journey, fostering a deeper connection to one's artistic process and sense of purpose. The heart of Cameron's groundbreaking programme...
    By Julia Cameron
    Paperback
    $3700
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    By Layne Staley
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    By Freddie Mercury
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    Pre-order
    Out
  • Starside
    Enter the enchanting and deadly world of Starside, where swords have magic and power isn’t inherited – it’s claimed, from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Aster.Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals – the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside...
    By Alex Aster
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3899
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Arts & Culture lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all