Theatre & Darwin

I reviewed Kirsten Shepherd-Barr's Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015) for Contemporary Theatre Review and the review is here. The book  surveys the influences of Darwinian and post-Darwinian debates on theatre since Ibsen and I think it's rather fascinating. There are some really interesting discussions of Eleanora Duse's reputed ability to blush at will and what is meant by the complicated debates around the representation of childbirth and breastfeeding on stage. The book also manages to say something new about Ibsen and Beckett, for which there should be some sort of cash prize.

Anyway, I recommend it, if you're interested in the intersection of science and theatre.