Theatrical wonder

This dissertation theorizes about a phenomenon of theatrical reception, which I call theatrical wonder. I hypothesize that on certain occasions theatrical spectators experience a sense of awe and an appreciation of possibility, together with deep emotion. This phenomenon results from an impulse to understand a novel theatrical metaphor in a perceptual field that is informed by an empathetic engagement with a character represented theatrically. Moreover, in its apprehension of possibility, theatrical wonder is implicated in utopian thinking. In analyzing a performance of Mnemonic by Theatre de Complicite, and in theorizing about my own directorial experiences in professional productions of Harry’s Way by Keith Huff, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, by Edward Albee, I develop an autoethnographic and phenomenological investigation of theatrical wonder.