Theatre and Aural Attention

Theatre and Aural Attention investigates what it is to attend theatre by means of listening. Focusing on four core aural phenomena in theatre – noise, designed sound, silence, and immersion - George Home-Cook concludes that theatrical listening involves paying attention to atmospheres.

“Without a doubt this book is interesting for practically everyone seriously interested in the relation between theatre and sound. Next to this obvious readership, the re-imagined conceptualization of terms such as atmosphere, scenography, and immersion makes it particularly interesting for theatre and scenography professionals, both scholars and practitioners … . Home-Cook’s study is much more than just a welcome addition; it sparks enormously important discussions and sets a course for future explorations.” (Falk Hübner, Journal of Sonic Studies, February, 2017)“This is a deeply interdisciplinary project, bringing together insights, theories and methodologies from a range of fields, and doing so in a very considerate and meaningful way, weighing terms and arguments and their merit carefully. … this will be a reference point for the emerging field of study and a rewarding read for scholars, students and practitioners alike.” (David Roesner, Theatre Research International, Vol. 41 (2), July, 2016)“Theatre and Aural Attention: Stretching Ourselves is a welcome contribution to the emerging field of theatre and aurality studies. … a study not only of listening in the theatre but of the theatricality of listening, it is relevant to theatre and performance studies and also to sound studies, musicology, and anthropology. The detailed investigations of sound techniques via their effect on a listener-spectator will be useful to directors and sound designers wishing to reflect on and develop their practice.” (Sarah Barnes, Contemporary Theatre Review, Vol. 26 (3), 2016)“Theatre and Aural Attention offers a detailed account with a fresh approach to what it means to attend and listen in the theatre. It is significant not only to scholars, designers and practitioners but also to those who simply enjoy going to the theatre.” (Yaron Shyldkrot, Theatre and Performance, Vol. 2 (3-4), 2016)“George Home-Cook’s Theatre and Aural Attention: Stretching Ourselves … is a must-read for students and academics of all things dramaturgical. It calls for an attention to the invisible and offers an earnest contribution to the quest for a listening beyond dialogue in the atmosphere of the performed.” (Salomé Voegelin, timeshighereducation.com, December, 2015)

George Home-Cook is an independent theatre practitioner-researcher and performing arts pedagogue, based in the UK. He holds an MA in Performance and a PhD in Drama from Queen Mary, University of London, UK, where he was awarded a prestigious Westfield Trust scholarship. His research has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed publications of international standing.