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<P>In setting foot on stage, every performer risks the possiblity of failure. Indeed, the very performance of&nbsp;any human&nbsp;action is inextricable from its potential not to succeed. This inherent potential has become a key critical trope in contemporary theatre,&nbsp;performance studies, and scholarship around visual cultures. <I>Beyond Failure</I> explores what it means for our understanding not just of theatrical practice but of human social and cultural activity more broadly. </P>
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<P>The essays in this volume tackle contemporary debates around the theory and poetics of failure, suggesting that in the absence of success can be found a defiance and hopefulness that points to new ways of knowing and being in the world. </P>
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<P>Beyond Failure</I> offers a unique and engaging approach for students and practitioners interested not only in the impact of failure on the stage, but what it means for wider social and cultural debates.</P>