Author(s)

Xu Rong ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Department of the Arts, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy

Corresponding Author

Xu Rong

ABSTRACT

In contemporary theatre, non-human elements are undergoing a transformation from representational tools to stage actors. Props, installations, soundscapes, and natural materials are no longer merely serving the narrative needs of human characters but are acquiring an independent subject status through their materiality itself. This shift has led to a fundamental change in the way theatre is perceived. This paper begins by examining the functional evolution of objects, analyzing how their material properties and chance mechanisms endow non-human elements with agency and establish their status as participants in stage events. It then explores how non-human factors directly trigger bodily responses in the audience through the physical impact of soundscapes, the tactile suggestions of materials, and the pre-reflective operation of affective mechanisms. It further reveals the challenges posed by non-human logics to traditional dramatic conventions, including the disruption of causal chains, the failure of representational agreements, and the functional transformation of theatre from human stories to world scenes. The research indicates that the superimposition of non-human subjectivity and the sensory turn is driving theatre out of the human-centered narrative framework and into an open field that showcases the complex relationship between humans and non-humans. This transformation not only expands the aesthetic boundaries of theatre but also provides a new theoretical path for rethinking the subject issue in art.

KEYWORDS

Non-human subjectivity; Sensory turn; Deconstruction of representation; Post-dramatic theatre

CITE THIS PAPER

Xu Rong. The Sensory Turn and Representational Deconstruction of Nonhuman Subjectivity in Contemporary Theatre. Art and Performance Letters (2026). Vol. 7, No.1, 88-94. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/artpl.2026.070115.

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