ABSTRACT
Across the globe, in liberal democracies where the right to vote is framed as both civil right and civic duty, disillusioned creative activists run for public office on sarcastic, ironic and iconoclastic platforms. With little intention of 'winning' in the conventional sense, they use drag, camp and stand-up comedy to undermine the legitimacy of their opponents and sometimes the electoral system itself.
Electoral Guerilla Theatre explores the recent phenomenon of the satirical election campaign, and questions:
- What is the purpose of such public political performances?
- What theatrical devices and aesthetic sensibilities do electoral guerrillas draw on to enhance their satire?
- How do electoral guerrillas create their public personas and platforms, and which audiences are they playing to and/or against?
- How do parodies and the 'respectable' political performances that they mock interact and how can this tactic backfire?
Drawing on extensive archival and ethnographic research this is entertaining, enlightening and informative read that will be invaluable to students working across a variety of disciplines, including performance studies, social science, cultural studies and politics.
