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By bringing together a range of discussions from leading international fan and performance studies scholars, Theatre Fandom tracks key case studies of theatre fans across different eras, performance forms, and cultures. The contributors emphasize the importance of considering theatrical elements such as pleasure, engagement, allure, enjoyment, and love. They illustrate how leveraging fan enthusiasm can foster greater and more meaningful participation in the cultural industries, potentially guiding us towards a thriving post-pandemic future for theatre.

“For scholars of performance studies or fan cultures, or for massive theatre nerds, Theatre Fandom is a must-read. The brilliant editors and contributors offer insightful explorations of how audiences engage with live performance, asking: Who gets to tell stories, and why are certain performances dismissed while others are celebrated? This collection opens up new ways to think about audience engagement and power. It’s a vital resource for anyone interested in how fandom reshapes live performance, especially in today’s pop-culture driven theatre landscape.”—Abigail De Kosnik, author, Rogue Archives: Digital Cultural Memory and Media Fandom

“Performance studies meets fandom studies, engagement in the arts meets participatory culture, as this long-overdue and groundbreaking collection expands the theoretical vocabulary of fan-focused research and tests it against a rich array of new cases. I learned something new on every page.”—Henry Jenkins, author, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

“As the first edited collection in this area, this book makes a significant contribution to the fields of both fan studies and theatre studies, offering new theoretical approaches, case studies, and arguments regarding the intersections between the two. Offering analysis of a broad range of case studies, fan practices, and audience behaviors, it is an indispensable resource for specialists in audience and fan studies, theatre studies, and the performing arts more widely.”—Rebecca Williams, author, Theme Park Fandom: Spatial Transmedia, Materiality and Participatory Cultures

"The subject of theatre fandom—despite being exceptionally important—has often been overlooked in both theatre/performance studies and in fandom studies. This much-needed book fills in this gap, and thankfully does a great job at doing so.”—Michael Boynton, Jacksonville State University

Theatre Fandom fills a crucial gap in both performance and fan studies. Despite vast areas of overlap in inquiry, the topics addressed in this volume have been largely overlooked until now. With a wide and rich range of chapters addressing topics from digital engagement to identity and inclusion, this book will be of great use to scholars and the general reader alike."—Jessica Hillman-McCord, State University of New York at Fredonia 

Tom Cantrell, Francesca Coppa, Ruth Foulis, Helen Freshwater, Emily Garside, Caroline Heim, Matt Hills, Natalie Ibu, Laura MacDonald, Dominique Morisseau, Rachael Nicholas, Louie Lang Norman, Owen G. Parry, Stephanie E. Pitts, Sarah M. Price, Beth Emily Richards, Kirsty Sedgman, Megan Vaughan, Ben Walmsley, Sarah K. Whitfield

ISBN-13
978-1-68597-012-3
Retail price
$85.00

ISBN-13
978-1-68597-013-0
Retail price
$85.00

Publication Details

Publication Date
05/30/2025
Trim size
6 x 9
Pages, art, trim size
310 pages, 5 b&w images, 1 b&w figure
Edition
1st