Skenè Research Centre
Interdisciplinary Theatre and Drama Studies
Università di Verona

as part of the agreement with

Dipartimento di Filologia, Letteratura e Linguistica
Università di Pisa

Theatre and Anthropology

Theoretical Approaches to Text, Performance,

and Theatrical Practices

Verona (IT), November 19-20, 2026

Conference venue  
Dipartimento di Lingue e letterature straniere,
Polo Zanotto, Aula Co-Working
via S. Francesco 22,
Verona, Italy

Reference contact
Prof. Alessandro Grilli (alessandro.grilli@unipi.it)

Conference languages
English, Italian

Conference fee
none

Abstract deadline
September 15, 2026

Anthropology and theatre are deeply interconnected (Beeman 1993; D’Onofrio 2018). Following seminal works from the 1950s and 1960s (Bateson, Belo, Mead 1952; Belo 1960; Schechner 1966), since the 1970s the anthropological perspective has identified theatre as one of the social practices in which the symbolic structures of a cultural system are best expressed (Turner 1974; Turner & Turner 1982; Schechner 1985). From this viewpoint, theatre emerges as the social space in which these symbolic structures are formalised, shared, experienced, reinterpreted and transformed into content that is subsequently passed on through traditional means.

In the domain of theatre studies, this association has made it possible to move beyond the traditional view of theatre as text-based drama (Barba 1993), broadening the perspective to encompass not only all the performative aspects of a production, but also the numerous related areas involved, which include theories of origin (Rozik 2002; Csapo, Miller 2007), the relationship with the audience (Bennett 1990), the preparatory stages of the production (McAuley 2012), the genesis of emotional experiences, as well as the collaborative creation of shared forms of political discourse (Flynn, Tinius 2015).

This conference aims to stimulate discussion amongst scholars working in a field characterised by a wide proliferation and hybridisation of content and methodologies. In particular, one of the conference’s objectives is to find a mediation centre between different anthropological perspectives on theatre – those investigating the text in its various dimensions, and those which, by contrast, deliberately transcend it to focus on the body and on the social and communicative context of the performance.

This inclusive and multifaceted view of the relationship between theatre and anthropology is reflected in the decision to organise the conference around three broad areas of research.

The first focuses on ancient cultures and considers theatre in relation to its religious and festive context, or for its ‘en abyme’ representation of rituals and religion (see e.g. Bierl 2001), but also – if not above all – as an expression of the social practices of a cultural ‘elsewhere’ in constant dialogue with the present (Meineck 2017). From this perspective, theatre emerges as a meaningful reflection of identity negotiations or interactions between social groups within the context of the Athenian polis (Goldhill 1987; Cartledge 1997) or Roman culture during the Republic and the early Empire (Savarese 2007; 2015).

This latter aspect also characterises the perspective of anthropological studies on the conference’s second focus, modern and contemporary theatre, which is understood as a repertoire of theatrical texts and practices, and is examined in various historical contexts as a privileged space for the construction and negotiation of collective cultural identity (it is not possible to cite specific studies that provide a comprehensive overview of a field that is so broad and diverse in terms of both time and culture).

Finally, the third perspective examines theatre as a point of encounter between the practices of different cultures. The anthropological approach has made it possible to explore and highlight non-Western theatrical traditions (Geertz 1972; 1980), whilst at the same time renewing Euro-American theatrical practices through intercultural encounters and the hybridisation of performative techniques, symbolic systems, and actor-training traditions (Schechner 1985; Barba and Savarese 1991; Brook 1968). Among the most significant consequences are the reconfiguration of the relationship between text and performance and the emphasis on performative and contextual elements ranging from the repertoire of gestural codes (Barba and Savarese 1991; Zarrilli 1995) to improvisational practices (Johnstone 1979; Schechner 2003), from postdramatic theatre (Lehmann 1999 [English trans. 2006]) to a fundamental transformation of the relationship between performers and audience (Boal 1979 [English trans. 1985]; Fischer-Lichte 2008).

The conference is conceived as the starting point for an edited volume, and presenters will be invited to contribute their work for possible inclusion.

If interested, please send an abstract and a brief bio to Alessandro Grilli (alessandro.grilli@unipi.it) by September 15, 2026. The abstract should not exceed 300 words, including the working title and references to your main argument and methodological approach. 

Themes and Topics of Interest

We encourage contributions addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Theatre as cultural performance

• Ritual, liminality, and performative transformation

• Theatre, religion, and ceremonial practices

• Political theatre and social movements

• Postcolonial theatre anthropology

• Theatre and identity construction

• Gender, sexuality, and performance

• Audience, participation, and collective experience

• Creative processes and knowledge production

• Performance, archives, and cultural memory

• New media and performative practices

• Theatre in contemporary urban and transnational contexts

• Performance theory in the twenty-first century

• Anthropology of theatre and performance studies: convergences and divergences

• Performance and the anthropology of emotions

Timeline

Abstract submission deadline: September 15, 2026

Acceptance or rejection notification: September 30, 2026

Presentation at the Conference: November 19-20, 2026

References

Barba, Eugenio, and Nicola Savarese. 1991. A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer. London: Routledge.

Barba, Eugenio. 1993. La canoa di carta. Trattato di antropologia teatrale, Bologna: Il Mulino. Eng. transl. 2003. The paper canoe: A guide to theatre anthropology. London: Routledge.

Bateson, Gregory, Jane Belo, and Margaret Mead. 1952. Trance and Dance in Bali. New York: New York University Film Library.

Beeman, William O. 1993. “The Anthropology of Theatre and Spectacle.” Annual Review of Anthropology 22: 369–93.

Belo, Jane. 1960. Trance in Bali. New York: Columbia University Press.

Bennett S. 1990. Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception. New York: Routledge.

Boal, Augusto. 1985. Theatre of the Oppressed. Translated by Charles A. McBride and Maria-Odilia Leal McBride. New York: Theatre Communications Group. (Originally published in Portuguese, 1979.)

Brook, Peter. 1968. The Empty Space. London: Penguin.

Cartledge, P. (1997). “‘Deep Plays’: Theatre as Process in Greek Civic Life.” In The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy, edited by P. E. Easterling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Csapo, E., & Miller, M. C. (Eds.). (2007). The Origins of Theater in Ancient Greece and Beyond: From Ritual to Drama. Cambridge University Press.

D’Onofrio, Alexandra. 2018. Anthropology and Theatre. In Hilary Callan (ed.). The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Chichester: Wiley.

Fischer-Lichte, Erika. 2008. The Transformative Power of Performance: A New Aesthetics. London: Routledge.

Flynn, Alex, and Jonas Tinius. 2015, eds. Anthropology, Theatre, and Development. The transformative potential of performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Geertz C. 1980. Negara: The Theatre State in Nineteenth Century Bali. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Geertz, Cliford. 1972. “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight.” Daedalus 101: 1–37.

Goldhill, S. (1987). “The Great Dionysia and Civic Ideology.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies 107: 58–76.

Johnstone, Keith. 1979. Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre. London: Methuen.

Lehmann, Hans-Thies. 2006. Postdramatic Theatre. Translated by Karen Jürs-Munby. London: Routledge. (Originally published in German, 1999.)

McAuley, Gay. 2012. Not Magic but Work: An Ethnographic Account of a Rehearsal Process. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Meineck, Peter. 2017. Theatrocracy: Greek drama, cognition, and the imperative for theatre. New York: Routledge.

Rozik, Eli. 2002. The Roots of Theatre: Rethinking Ritual and Other Theories of Origin. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. (Studies in Theatre History and Culture.)

Savarese, Nicola. In scaena. Il teatro di Roma Antica. Milan: Electa, 2007.

Schechner, Richard. 1966. “Approaches to Theory/Criticism”. Tulane Drama Review 4 (10): 20–53.

Schechner, Richard. 1985. Between Theatre and Anthropology. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Schechner, Richard. 2003. Performance Theory. Revised and expanded edition. London: Routledge.

Turner, Victor, and Edith Turner. 1982. “Performing Ethnography.” Drama Review 26 (2): 33–50.

Turner, Victor. 1974. Dramas, Fields and Metaphors. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Zarrilli, Phillip B. ed. 1995. Acting (Re)Considered: A Theoretical and Practical Guide. London: Routledge.