A Study of Theater Semiotics of Yuri Lotman: ‘The Two Types of Signs’ and ‘The Typology of Theater’

Abstract

Cultural semiotician Yuri Lotman made theoretical contributions to theater semiotics. He typified signs into two types of signs: iconic signs and conventional signs. These two signs coexist and interact, sometimes are directed towards the nature of the other sign. Convention is the language, grammar, and device of art. Convention also works and functions in theatre. Through convention realism theater produces ‘naturalness’, i. e., iconic/natural signs in theater. And Peking Opera etc. produce ‘convention/unnaturalness’, that is, conventional signs. Theatricality is the language of theater as an art. This theatricality is related to convention and theatrical sign. The audience of art has the following two attitudes as in a game/play. 1) The audience must forget that what he appreciates is art, 2) The audience should not forget that what they appreciate is art. These two attitudes and two conventions of the audiences have created two theatricality, and these two theatricality have been fighting throughout the history of theater. The former, which produce iconic/natural signs, was mainly used in realism plays. And the latter, which produce conventional signs, was mainly used in Brecht plays. Based on these two criteria, a theater typology can be constructed.