This volume is focused on the central issue of contemporary theatre and performance studies -- that is, the issue of the actor/performer and the question of his or her public negotiation of normative orders. The international authors of this volume discuss the entanglement of actors/performers in a variety of normalising practices, offering philosophical investigations, performance analyses, historical examples, and personal experiences. The collection will be of interest to anyone concerned with the political potential and ontological dimension of being on stage within and beyond politics in terms of party programmes and the state administration of polity. With contributions by Elaine Aston, Sruti Bala, Wolf-Dieter Ernst, Rikard Hoogland, Birgitta Johansson, Joe Kienast, Michal Kobialka, Heide Lazarus, Ruta Maeikiene, Juliano Mer Khamis, Kati Röttger, Tiina Rosenberg, and Willmar Sauter.