Showing Off, Showing Up

Studies of Hype, Heightened Performance, and Cultural Power

Subjects: Theater and Performance, American Studies
Paperback : 9780472053469, 336 pages, 58 illustrations, 6 x 9, May 2017
Hardcover : 9780472073467, 336 pages, 58 illustrations, 6 x 9, May 2017
Ebook : 9780472122769, 336 pages, 58 illustrations, 6 x 9, May 2017
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Examines acts of showing—from dog shows to striptease—to understand and theorize instances of heightened performance in everyday life as well as on the stage

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Description

The interdisciplinary essays in Showing Off, Showing Up examine acts of showing, a particular species of performance that relies on competition and judgment, active spectatorship, embodied excess, and exposure of core values and hidden truths. Acts of showing highlight those dimensions of performance that can most manipulate spectators and consumers, often through over-the-top heightening and skewing of presentation. Many forms of showing and of heightened performance, however, operate more enigmatically and covertly while still profoundly affecting the social world, even if our reactions to them are initially flippant or unconcerned because “it’s just a show.” Examining a wide range of examples—from dog shows to competitive dancing to carnivals to striptease, the essays illuminate how such events variously foster competition, exaggerate a characteristic, and reveal hidden truths. There is as much to be learned about the power of showing through subtlety and underlying intentionality as through overt display. The book’s theoretical introduction and 12 essays by leading scholars reveal how diverse, particularly efficacious genres of showing are theoretically connected and why they merit more concerted attention, especially in the 21st century.

Laurie Frederik is Associate Professor in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies and Director of the Latin American Studies Center at the University of Maryland.
Kim Marra is Professor of Theatre Arts and American Studies at the University of Iowa.
Catherine Schuler is Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Maryland.

“From top to bottom, the pieces of Showing Off, Showing Up are compelling, well-researched, and stand at the forefront of performance studies scholarship and hold the potential to move the field forward in very significant ways. It will find an appreciative audience with scholars and students in the field.”
— Jonathan Chambers, Bowling Green State University

"Showing Off, Showing Up: Studies of Hype, Heightened Performance, and Cultural Power sets out to both theorize the often-used theatrical verb “to show” and its many grammatical variants. Coeditors Laurie Frederik, Kim Marra, and Catherine Schuler assemble a wide collection of scholars, all of whom investigate compelling examples of “showing” in theatre and performance... the varied archives and rich theorizations of the individual essays make this a worthwhile resource for scholars studying animal performance, dance, clothing and costuming, tourism, advertising, theatre’s publics, performance as state power, or performance and sexuality, among other topics." - Tom Robson, Theatre Journal

- Tom Robson