Kurt Taroff

Monodrama, Translation, Adaptation, Theatre Programming, New York Theatre, Theatre and Gentrification, World War I, Theatre and Cognition, Virtual Reality Theatre

My main area of interest is Monodrama--plays which attempt to communicate the world as subjectively experienced by a protagonist with such intensity that the spectator feels as though they have merged with that protagonist.  In my work I trace this trend back to 18th C. music, and then use the traits of the form as a means to analyse drama to the present day. 

I am also engaged in a new project looking at non-profit theatres in New York's East Village area from 1990 to the present, examining how the rapid gentrification of the area and changes in audiences and public funding have affected the programming choices of these theatres. 

In connection with my work as a Co-Investigator on the AHRC-funded 'Living Legacies, 1914-18' project, I am exploring community engagement with the First World War through theatre and perfromance, as well as investigating uses of the war through public performance by the UVF commemoration parades of 2013-15.

Further research interests include: adaptation and translation in the theatre, American theatre, political theatre, theatre and cognition, and virtual reality theatre.