المرحلة المتأخرة .. وجهات نظر مسرحية حول العمر والشيخوخة

The Last Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging is the first comprehensive anthology to critically analyze the intersection of age studies with theater and performance studies. This book deconstructs the idea of ​​a single self that persists with age—an assumption that pits aging against youth—and challenges the biological imperatives imposed by an essentialist view of aging. The Final Stage redefines age as an additional dimension of identity, shaped by the social and cultural systems that shape the physical body over time. The book portrays aging as a dynamic and evolving process, opposing stereotypical narratives that portray aging as a static, undesirable state. By exploring topics such as intergenerational dialogue, older people's sexuality, late-life lifestyles, casting practices, aging care, and artistic longevity, the contributors reconceptualize aging within complex narratives that resist prevailing stereotypes about age. Drawing on gender studies, feminist theory, and disability studies, this book links performance analysis to theoretical frameworks, and collectively addresses how aging is experienced, represented, and resisted across time and cultures. The Final Stage explores major works by classic and contemporary literary figures, such as Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Caryl Churchill, Claire Baron, Naomi Iizuka, Tracy Letts, David Lindsay-Abaire, Judith Malina, Ruby McAuley, Florian Zeller, and Peggy Shaw. With its innovative approach, The Last Stage is not only a critical text on cycles of performance and aging, but also a call to action to expand dialogues about aging in theater and society.