Fandom as Dramaturgy

This lecture and discussion seminar by Dr. Owen G. Parry, lecturer in Critical Studies of Fine Art at Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London), is organized around the internal PhD defense of Tessa Vannieuwenhuyze’s research Staging the Musical Self(ie). Persona across Popular Music and Contemporary Performing Arts. In the lecture, Dr. Parry will focus on fandom as dramaturgy and the fan practice of “shipping” as an undervalued dramaturgical device. This talk will then open up into a public discussion chaired by Dra. Tessa Vannieuwenhuyze, where participants can join the conversation about new media dramaturgies, and how new technologies and aesthetics flow together with theatre performance practice.

Parry, who completed his PhD on Trashy Tendencies in Contemporary Art and Performance at Goldsmiths in 2014, has focused his research on the intersection of queer performance, vernacular theory, pop celebrity, and occultism. His work examines how these practices are combined, re-purposed, or fictionalized to generate new aesthetic assemblages, counter-myths, and speculative imaginaries. Parry’s current project, Poor Theory, explores how "the weird internet"—including fandom, memes, magical practices, and conspiracy theories—has moved from the margins to become central to life in capitalist ruins. This builds on his previous work, Fan Riot (2016 - ongoing), which investigates how fans have driven the evolution of the internet and includes artworks, performances, international publications, and a 'fan club' series.