Weaving patterns in performance: dramaturgy and the art of performance interpreting

Catherine King

doi:10.14439/sjop.2019.0601.02

Abstract

Performance interpreters (PIs) working between English and British Sign Language often work alone to translate performance texts with little or no access to the creative team and are generally untrained in the specific skills required for the performance setting. In addition, the current theatre industry tends to adopt a mechanised approach to access that takes little or no account of the creative aspects of translation and interpreting work. In response to this, and to facilitate a conversation about the performance aspects of the work of the PI, this article discusses the concept of dramaturgy and considers its application to performance interpreting. The article draws on a practice-based project which embedded three PIs in a theatre production of Henry V at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and argues that performance interpreting can be framed as a dramaturgically-driven undertaking, rather than an interpreting task. The article sheds light on this frame's effects on the PIsâ processes, and on the experience of the director and cast members. It proposes and evaluates five guiding principles for a dramaturgically-driven frame for use by directors of performance interpreting.

Highlights

Research has shown that interpreting is complex and nuanced, requiring a skill of synthesis and contextualisingScottish Journal of Performance Volume 6, Issue 1 not generally necessary in everyday conversation (Roy, 2000; Janzen, 2008; Napier, 2002)
My belief is that framing performance interpreting as a strand of a production’s dramaturgy is a fruitful and effective approach which benefits the whole audience
Where a director considers the presence of a Performance interpreters (PIs) in the performance space as something to deal with on a purely functional level, the dramaturgy of the piece may be compromised

Summary

Introduction

Research has shown that interpreting is complex and nuanced, requiring a skill of synthesis and contextualising. Companies such as Birds of Paradise, Graeae and the Deaf Hearing Ensemble bring an inclusive ethos to their work with diverse casting as a norm These kinds of productions are built with BSL as an intrinsic language of the piece, usually featuring Deaf performers, and again fall outwith the scope of this research. This article contributes to the movement to shift the performance industry to a more holistic and inclusive practice It draws on my practice-based research with a theatre production to argue that working with the PI in a theatrical setting can be more effectively framed as a dramaturgicallydriven activity than an interpreting task. There were initially ten such principles, this article discusses how the production process drew on five

Meaning is paramount

Nobody should get eye strain watching us

Translation challenges are shared problems

The register we use will always be appropriate for the field

Conclusion