In the 21st century, it is now obvious that the aesthetic drama is inextricably interwoven with the social drama, as R. Schechner analytically suggested in his famous “Infinite Loop.” Schechner’s scheme captures the direct interaction of art with the world. The social drama, social and political action, essentially feeds the aesthetic drama, i.e. the performing arts, which in turn (re)bring the “Real” into a new visibility in order to (re)shape and (re)define it. The 80 articles in this volume examine the aesthetic and social horizons of the performative event with vigour and pluralism. The researchers study the main national and international stage trends, the concept of extended dramaturgy, new acting methods and interpretative approaches, the issues of criticism in the context of social media, the issues raised by the pandemic, the reflections on new practices of live streaming and/or theatre with video-recording, digital theatre, the theoretical and practical endeavours, the aesthetic representation of “post”-modernity, but also the need for institutional changes in the field of performing arts education, and the need for a cultural policy that includes the regional periphery in Greece during a period of economic hardship, of private public-benefit Institutions and of the subsidies of the Ministry of Culture.

*The e-book with the conference proceedings is available here (in Greek).