A new book on theater penned by Cristina Modreanu - Performative Utopias. Radical American Artists in the 21st Century - was published in May 2014 by the most prestigious Publishing House in Romania, Humanitas http://www.humanitas.ro/. The book is the result of a research project developed by the author while she was Visiting Scholar at New York University with the help of a Fulbright Senior Award (2011-2012 Academic Year).
Performative Utopias. Radical American Artists in the 21st Century included in Humanitas Essay Series was documented in New York and includes numerous academic references alongside with personal confessions, offering a piece of creative writing together with an updated view on contemporary American stage. Performative Utopias features a sample of radical artists from the very well known Robert Wilson, Meredith Monk, Richard Foreman, Lee Breuer, Merce Cunningham, Wooster Group, Laurie Anderson to the new voices Young Jean Lee, Jay Scheib, Elevator Repair Service, Radiohole, Temporary Distortion, The Civilians, Liz Magic Laser and others.
Placed on the background of the Occupy Well Street movement their innovative performances seem to be part of a continuous creative revolution which started in the 60's and 70's and it is still going on today by means of new media and new technologies.
Performative Utopias, with a forward by professor Marian Popescu, was launched in the frame of three important theater festivals in Spring/ Summer 2014: Romanian Comedy Festival festCo on 30th of May, Sibiu International Theater Festival on 13th of June and Timisoara European Performing Arts Festival on 15th of June.
