The Art of Assembly

The Art of Assembly surveys theatre today to demonstrate its political potential in both form and content. Drawing on numerous examples from around the world in performance, visual art, and activist art, curator and author Florian ­Malz­acher examines works that draw on the particular possibilities of theatre to navigate the space between representation and participation, at once playfully and with sincerity. In a time of wide-ranging crisis, The Art of Assembly is a plea for a strong definition of the political and for a theatre that is not content merely to reflect the world's ills, but instead acts to change them. A knowledgeable foray through the landscape of political theatre. die tageszeitung (taz) A very good overview of current postdramatic events, bringing together a great deal of empirical material. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) Rarely have the pitfalls of representation as the cornerstone of theatre been explained so elegantly. Berliner Zeitung A stimulating book that brings you up to date with the latest discursive thinking without overwhelming you with theory. An ideal side effect. profil Malzacher's analysis is clever, enjoyable and accessible even for the theory-shy. A briefing on the state of the discourse and a declaration of love for theatre. Die Wochenzeitung (WOZ)

Florian Malzacher is a curator, author, and dramaturg as well as the host of The Art of Assembly, a series of talks and conversations about the potential of gathering in art, activism, and politics. From 2006-2012 he was festival programmer of the interdisciplinary festival steirischer herbst in Graz; from 2013-2017 the artistic director of the Impulse Theater Festival. He is the editor of numerous publications on theatre, on the relationship between art, activism, and politics, and on performance curation. These include (co)edited books on the work of theatre companies Forced Entertainment, Rimini Protokoll, and Nature Theater of Oklahoma, as well as Truth is Concrete: A Handbook for Artistic Strategies in Real Politics (2014), Not Just a Mirror: Looking for the Political Theatre of Today (2015) and Empty Stages, Crowded Flats: Performativity as Curatorial Strategy (2017). His books and essays have been translated into fifteen languages.