Odai Johnson
Professor, School of Drama
The Predatory Gaze of Looking
Bob Dylan wrote of the great loss of artistry he suffered after Woodstock, when he no longer could look at the world because he had become instead the thing looked at. This first talk of the series considers the predatory relationship of celebrity to the artist it feeds upon. Sometimes it feasts upon the private life, but usually it begins with the choice bits – the artistic impulse itself.
Odai Johnson is a professor of theatre history and the head of the School of Drama’s PhD program, as well as a founding member of the Center for Performance Studies.
2014/15 Performing Arts Lecture Series
From Helen of Troy to the Kardashian sisters, celebrities, or (in Joseph Roach’s definition) “abnormally interesting people,” have fascinated the public imagination over the centuries. This series of lectures from scholars and art practitioners across academic disciplines considers why certain historical figures or fictional characters have possessed a special power to fascinate their public.