Theatre and Social Media: Revised Edition - Paperback

by Patrick Lonergan (Author), Margherita Laera (Editor), Natalie Alvarez (Editor)

How does theatre, one of the most ancient and physical arts, relate to the modern, dynamic technology that is social media? How have changes in the use of social media affected the theatre? How does social media itself operate as a performance space?
Used daily by many, social media has become one of the main mediums through which we present and perform our lives. In this concise study of the revealing relationship between theatre and social media, Patrick Lonergan considers social media as a performance space, analyses how theatre-makers' engagement with social media on and off stage affects elements of theatrical composition and reception, and explores the practical and conceptual implications of audiences interacting with professional productions through social media.
Exploring case studies from Shakespearean performance to Broadway musicals, this revised edition explores new approaches to social media and theatre, asking how new platforms can influence, and even create, theatre productions.

Author Biography

Patrick Lonergan is Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Galway. He is series editor of the Methuen Drama's Critical Companions series, and the author of numerous other publications, including Irish Drama and Theatre since 1950 (2019) and Theatre Revivals for the Anthropocene (2023)