Valenciennes and Banqueting Hall: Theatre Research in Three and Four Dimensions

Abstract

In a recent essay I argued for broader acceptance of two methods for understanding “past styles of performance”—the building of three dimensional models and the staging of four dimensional performance reconstructions. These alternatives to the traditional narrative essay make greater use of theatrical imagination, and aim at raising new kinds of questions rather than answering the old kind. However, lack of appropriate apparatus has prevented widespread use of these forms. Since performances are by nature “short-lived phenomena” and can be recorded but fragmentarily, unique methods are required for their study. Theoretical reconstructions cannot approximate the physical and psychological ambience of a respectable performance essay. On the other hand, performance reconstructions do not allow for scholarly caveat during presentation, or for lacunae where knowledge is lacking. Therefore I see the promise of a rich harvest in two-way stimulation between theoretical and performance essays. A pair of reports, based on personal involvement in the types of projects I advocate, follows.