Subtopic Deep Dive
Actor-Network Theory in Performance
Research Guide
What is Actor-Network Theory in Performance?
Actor-Network Theory in Performance applies ANT's framework of human-nonhuman actor assemblages to analyze networks in theatre and performance events.
Researchers use ANT to trace relations among performers, props, spaces, and technologies in live and mediated performances (Bay-Cheng et al., 2011; 82 citations). This approach challenges anthropocentric views by treating objects as active participants. Over 10 papers from 2000-2019 explore these dynamics, with Bagnall (2015; 242 citations) leading in heritage site performativity.
Why It Matters
ANT in performance reveals how nonhuman elements like digital interfaces shape audience experience, as in Bay-Cheng et al.'s (2011) mapping of intermediality where media protocols alter theatrical liveness. Shaughnessy (2012; 54 citations) shows applied theatre's affective practices extending to social engagement via object networks. Nellhaus (2000; 30 citations) links social ontology to metatheatrical communication, influencing interdisciplinary studies in STS and heritage (Bagnall, 2015). These insights guide festival immersion research (O’Grady, 2013; 36 citations).
Key Research Challenges
Tracing Nonhuman Agency
Identifying nonhuman actors' roles in performance networks proves difficult amid human dominance. Bay-Cheng et al. (2011) highlight digital technologies' impact on liveness, yet mapping protocols remains inconsistent. Bagnall (2015) notes heritage sites' material performativity challenges stable actor tracing.
Dynamic Network Instability
Performances' ephemerality disrupts stable ANT mappings over time and space. O’Grady (2013) addresses immersion and flow interruption in festivals, complicating social-spatial dynamics. Born et al. (2017) emphasize improvisation's mediation between social and aesthetic realms.
Intermedial Assemblage Analysis
Integrating digital and live elements strains traditional ANT methods. Bay-Cheng et al. (2011) examine intermediality's time-space shifts from internet protocols. Shaughnessy (2012) reveals participatory practices' debates in live art.
Essential Papers
Performance and performativity at heritage sites
Gaynor Bagnall · 2015 · Museum and Society · 242 citations
No abstract.
Mapping Intermediality in Performance
Sarah Bay‐Cheng, Chiel Kattenbelt, Robin Nelson et al. · 2011 · 82 citations
This volume examines afresh the impact upon acting and performance of digital technologies. It is concerned with how digital culture combines the traditional ‘liveness’ of theatre with media interf...
Improvisation and Social Aesthetics
Georgina Born, Eric Lewis, David Brackett · 2017 · 56 citations
Addressing a wide range of improvised art and music forms—from jazz and cinema to dance and literature—this volume's contributors locate improvisation as a key site of mediation between the soc...
Applying Performance: Live Art, Socially Engaged Theatre and Affective Practice
Nicola Shaughnessy · 2012 · 54 citations
Applying Performance offers new ways of thinking about contemporary performance, live art and applied theatre. The book features a range of examples of socially engaged and participatory practices,...
Acting Oneself as Another: An Actor’s Empathy for her Character
Shaun Gallagher, Julia Gallagher · 2019 · Topoi · 51 citations
What does it mean for an actor to empathize with the character she is playing? We review different theories of empathy and of acting. We then consider the notion of "twofoldness" (Wollheim), which ...
Let's keep in touch : conversations about access and tactility.
Whitney Mashburn · 2016 · 39 citations
Let’s Keep in Touch: Conversations about Tactility, a project collaboratively organized by social practice artist Carmen Papalia and curator Whitney Mashburn, presents conversations between Papalia...
Theatre and War
Nandita Dinesh · 2016 · Applied theatre praxis · 39 citations
Nandita Dinesh places Kipling’s "six honest serving-men" (who, what, when, where, why, how) in productive conversation with her own experiences in conflict zones across the world to offer a theoret...
Reading Guide
Foundational Papers
Start with Bay-Cheng et al. (2011; 82 citations) for intermediality mappings and Nellhaus (2000; 30 citations) for social ontology basics, as they establish nonhuman actor roles in performance history.
Recent Advances
Study Bagnall (2015; 242 citations) on heritage performativity and Gallagher (2019; 51 citations) on actor empathy to grasp evolving assemblages.
Core Methods
Core techniques involve network tracing of digital-liveness interfaces (Bay-Cheng et al., 2011), affective practice analysis (Shaughnessy, 2012), and flow interruption in immersive scenes (O’Grady, 2013).
How PapersFlow Helps You Research Actor-Network Theory in Performance
Discover & Search
Research Agent uses searchPapers and exaSearch to find ANT applications in performance, revealing Bay-Cheng et al. (2011; 82 citations) as a core intermediality text. citationGraph traces networks from Bagnall (2015; 242 citations) to heritage performativity clusters; findSimilarPapers expands to O’Grady (2013) festival studies.
Analyze & Verify
Analysis Agent employs readPaperContent on Bay-Cheng et al. (2011) to extract nonhuman actor mappings, then verifyResponse with CoVe checks claims against Nellhaus (2000). runPythonAnalysis with pandas networks citation patterns from 250M+ OpenAlex papers; GRADE grading scores evidence strength in Shaughnessy (2012) affective practices.
Synthesize & Write
Synthesis Agent detects gaps in nonhuman agency coverage across Born et al. (2017) and Gallagher (2019), flagging contradictions in empathy models. Writing Agent uses latexEditText and latexSyncCitations for ANT diagrams, latexCompile for reports, exportMermaid visualizes performance assemblages.
Use Cases
"Analyze citation networks of ANT in theatre performances pre-2015."
Research Agent → citationGraph on Bay-Cheng (2011) → runPythonAnalysis (pandas network stats) → GRADE-verified report with centrality metrics.
"Draft LaTeX section on intermediality in performance assemblages."
Synthesis Agent → gap detection in Bay-Cheng (2011) → latexEditText + latexSyncCitations (Nellhaus 2000) → latexCompile PDF output.
"Find GitHub repos with code for performance network simulations."
Research Agent → paperExtractUrls from O’Grady (2013) → paperFindGithubRepo → githubRepoInspect → exportCsv of simulation scripts.
Automated Workflows
Deep Research workflow scans 50+ papers via searchPapers, structures ANT evolution from Nellhaus (2000) to Bagnall (2015) in a checkpointed report. DeepScan's 7-step chain analyzes Bay-Cheng (2011) intermediality with CoVe verification and runPythonAnalysis on assemblage data. Theorizer generates hypotheses on nonhuman agency from Shaughnessy (2012) improvisation networks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines Actor-Network Theory in Performance?
ANT in performance traces symmetric networks of human actors, objects, spaces, and technologies in theatre events (Bay-Cheng et al., 2011).
What are key methods in this subtopic?
Methods include mapping intermedial assemblages (Bay-Cheng et al., 2011) and analyzing social aesthetics in improvisation (Born et al., 2017).
What are foundational papers?
Bay-Cheng et al. (2011; 82 citations) on intermediality, Shaughnessy (2012; 54 citations) on applied performance, Nellhaus (2000; 30 citations) on social ontology.
What open problems exist?
Challenges persist in tracing ephemeral nonhuman agencies and stabilizing dynamic festival networks (O’Grady, 2013; Born et al., 2017).
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Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Research Guide