In myth, the ancient muse Thalia is a worshipper of Dionysos and therefore closely related to theatrical festivities. Her name resembles the etymological origin of both 'theatre' and 'theory' (theoreia). The joint research group THALIA (UGent/VUB) aims at collective, intellectual exchange with regard to intermedial constellations of theatre, text and performance. Focusing on both contemporary performance art and history, the projects of our joint research group fit into one or more of the following research lines: theatre texts/text theatricality, dramaturgy, (inter)mediality and performativity.

Tackling the interconnectedness of dramatic and other theatre texts and various ways of media/mediality in performance, we approach these research lines from the perspectives of Literary, Theatre, Performance and Media Studies.