Performers as emotional artisans: Crafting displays in theatre and workload

Abstract

In this article, we analyse the process of crafting emotional displays developed by performers in theatre work. The systematic approach to emotion regulation and management displayed in theatre provides a perfect lens for researching emotions in the workplace. This, in turn, provides the possibility of developing a toolkit to analyse a wide range of working experiences where emotions and bodily labour are an intrinsic part of the work. This research draws on a sample of 31 in-depth qualitative interviews with professional Spanish performers alongside ethnographic observations and interviews conducted in two theatre companies. We start by exploring the pathways and techniques adopted by performers to address emotional labour and emotional management in theatre work. Afterwards, focusing on the process of displaying emotions live on stage, we analyse the overlap between the performers’ own emotions and the emotions of the characters they portray, revisiting the limitations of the distinction between the notions of the ‘real’ and the ‘fake’ self in the workplace. Finally, we will turn our attention to the workload generated by emotional labour in theatre, trying to ascertain the main positive and negative outcomes for vocational performers with a working experience heavily focused on emotional labour while dealing with a context marked by precarity. We develop a better understanding of the constant desire to work despite the impossibility of making a living through the concept of emotional artisanship.