Celebrity and the Interrupted Performance
2016
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Celebrity and the Interrupted Performance
Authors
Published Date
2016
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
The casting of celebrities in major roles on Broadway is a common practice, incentivized
by the large box office draw of film stars. This paper explores how fixed conceptions of good
acting and markers of cultural prestige play into the criticism that celebrity-actors receive.
Looking closely at Daniel Radcliffe’s 2008 performance in Equus, Sir Ian McKellen’s 2013
performance in Waiting for Godot and Marina Abramović’s 2010 performance The Artist is
Present, this paper details how fan-celebrity encounters exist alongside or within performances,
as well as how these celebrities are written about differently by critics. The celebrity’s attempt to
represent a character within a play is complicated by their status as an easily recognizable sign
for either themselves or another character. It is far easier for the celebrity-actor to become part
of the world of the play than the celebrity-character. Ultimately, this paper asks how fancelebrity
encounters can be harnessed as an artistic choice to enhance a performance instead of
being negated and pushed to the periphery as a pre- or post-theatre experience.
Description
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Cooper, Elizabeth. (2016). Celebrity and the Interrupted Performance. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/181402.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.