Boos, Tears, Sweat, and Toil: Experiencing the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest Live

Authors

  • Chris Hay University of Sydney
  • Billy Kanafani Canberra Grammar School

Abstract

In this article we consider the live experience of the dual audiences of the Eurovision Song Contest, recently awarded the title of the world's longest running annual music competition. The Contest commands an audience of some two million each year for its broadcast, but there is also a small live audience of between 10 000 and 30 000 spectators. Following recent theoretical debates on liveness, we argue that both audiences can be understood as experiencing the Contest live: despite their lack of spatial co-presence, the temporal connection established by the live broadcast allows both experiences to be understood as live. This argument is supported by thick descriptions gathered on-the-ground (or on-the-dance-floor) at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.

Author Biographies

Chris Hay, University of Sydney

Chris Hay is an Honorary Associate of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sydney, where his teaching and research covers dramaturgy and the history of theatre. He is currently working on a research project examining the spatial dramaturgy of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

Billy Kanafani, Canberra Grammar School

Billy Kanafani is the Head of Drama and Film at Canberra Grammar School. His research interests include intracultural performing and casting, as well as boys' education.

Downloads

Published

2017-03-24

How to Cite

Hay, C., & Kanafani, B. (2017). Boos, Tears, Sweat, and Toil: Experiencing the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest Live. Popular Entertainment Studies, 8(1), 57–73. Retrieved from https://novaojs.newcastle.edu.au/kulumun/index.php/pes/article/view/194

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright for all material published in Popular Entertainment Studies resides with the Author.

Readers of Popular Entertainment Studies may, however, save and/or print any files from the journal for their personal use, as long as no alterations are made to the material and any subsequent citation is properly acknowledged. For any other use/reproduction of material (e.g. for course materials), express prior permission must be obtained from the journal's General Editor.

Authors are welcome to re-use/reprint their work elsewhere, as long as such publication includes due acknowledgement of the work's prior appearance in Popular Entertainment Studies. Authors are individually responsible for obtaining any necessary copyright permissions for images, photos, or other materials reproduced in their articles and for including any required credits. Copyright clearance for their use must be lodged with the journal if your submission is accepted for publication.

For more information, please refer to the copyright form.