First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Performance Research: On Ritual will examine a range of ritual practices bordering on or intended to be seen as theatre. It will explore both historical and systematic connections between ritual and theatre, present the work of contemporary artists, and reflect on the role and meaning of ritual for theatrical purposes in the late 20th century.

This issue of performance Research is a response to the powerful presence in contemporary culture of aesthetic forms and political strategies derived from North America. Counterpointing Letters from Europe, the book addresses the use and abuse of images of and from North America, the deconstruction in performance theory and practice of North American art, film and performance, and the presentation of America as genre and fiction.

The question of illusion and reality--the relation of lived experience and representation to the arts and to broader philosophical considerations--continues to be a central issue in contemporary performance. "On Illusion" will address this question in relation to a variety of topics. Contents: 5 Microlectures on Performance Writing and Illusion Texts "Matthew Ghoulish and Goat Island;" On Rose English "Lynn MacRitchie" Hotel Pro Forma "Exe Christofferson;" Truthful Trickery: Shamanism, Performance, and Reality "Etzel Cardena"

This issue explores risk taken and encountered in a variety of disciplines. The primary focus here is on the perception of risk: its relationship to the artist's work in performance, and the physical, cultural and political contexts in which the work takes place.
Contributors: Lynn MacRitchie, Chrissie Iles, Jan Linders, Heiner Muller and Robert Wilson, Tracey Warr, Ato Quayson.

Contents:
* Open Transmission - Krzysztof Wodiczko
* Against Ontology - Philip Auslander
* Stepping Into the Light - Claire MacDonald
* No Hiding Place - Alan Read
* The Oresteia of the Societas Rafaello Sanzio - Valentina Valentini