Abstract: How is time made to mean in gameful performance? In this essay, I explore the implications of time being put into play in Addressless (2022) and argue that the regimentation of time in this theatrical work casts its protagonists as neoliberal agents, undermining its creators’ intent. Seeking an alternative model for time-based play, I turn to a thematically similar work: Jay Dragon’s tabletop role-playing game Wanderhome (2021), which operates in a queer temporality that troubles the reproductive time modeled in Addressless. Finally, I speculate briefly on how the emerging field of gameful theatre might adopt new temporal strategies in performance.
Nicholas S. Orvis (Mon,) studied this question.