Astonish Me!
Astonish Me! by Dominic Dromgoole, published by Profile Books Limited in 2023, is a reprint edition comprising 384 pages. This book presents a dynamic exploration of pivotal moments in history where art and performance have significantly influenced culture and societal perceptions. Dromgoole takes readers on a journey through various historical events, beginning in 1963 New York with Lorraine Hansberry’s impact on American theatre and continuing through significant artistic milestones across the globe.
Readers will find a vivid narrative that highlights how individual artists have the power to reshape cultural narratives and alter societal dynamics. The book covers a range of topics, including social history and popular culture, as it transports readers from Renaissance Florence to fifth-century Athens and beyond. Through these historical snapshots, Dromgoole illustrates the profound changes that art can evoke, showcasing moments such as the creation of kabuki in Kyoto and the revolutionary performance of the Sex Pistols in Manchester.
Official synopsis Publisher
Astonish Me! is an adrenaline-charged rollercoaster through history’s seismic first nights, exploring how individual artists can change and shape the story of culture – and allow us to see ourselves in new ways. It tells of times when ‘the air between people seems to alter’ as art achieves profound change, across the globe and across history. Dominic Dromgoole has created a radical and fresh canon. He begins in New York in 1963, as Lorraine Hansberry remakes American theatre and a nation’s perception of race. And then, as the lights go up, we find ourselves in Renaissance Florence, watching Michelangelo’s David being hauled into the Piazza della Signoria. The dust settles and we are transported to the birth of theatre in fifth-century Athens – and then to Paris to meet with Diaghilev and Stravinsky for the Rite of Spring. We witness kabuki’s creation, as a radical women’s performance, in Kyoto; the Sex Pistols shattering Thatcherite Britain at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall; and watch as Hitchcock directs Psycho.
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