Paper Title- Marketing and Metonymy: Punchdrunk’s Product Performances

Panel- What Performs in Postdramatic Theatre?

From my conclusion:

In recent interviews, Felix Barrett has attempted to defend Punchdrunk from the accusations of Lyn Garnder and others: “It’s not a sell-out to use a big brand...it’s a way of testing ideas.” It seems that Barrett’s vision for the further evolution of the company will involve even more integration with corporations, new source materials, and more mediated forms of engagement: “Punchdrunk isn't just theatrical any more. It's got so many disciplines and media. Everything I'm excited about is Punchdrunk.” Barrett’s now defines the company outside the terms of theatrical encounter, describing a wide range of interactions between media, products, and consumers; to borrow a phrase from Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle, “the spectacle indicates that it has crossed the threshold of its own abundance.” This self-conscious departure from definition as a theatre organization may ultimately serve both Punchdrunk’s investigation of new products, markets, and mediums and the partnering institutional theatres who previously clamored to collaborate with the group’s postdramatic work.

Photo Credit: Carl Burke