Theatre Actors Research Articles

Hubungan antara Durasi Penggunaan Suara dengan Permasalahan Suara pada Aktor Teater di Sanggar Teater di Wilayah Kota Surakarta

Background: An actor is a profession that requires both good vocal range and a quality voice simultaneously. In their workplace, they utilize their voices, which poses a risk of vocal issues such as overuse, potentially leading to voice problems. Persistent voice problems can endanger their professional career. Objectives: Discovering whether there is a correlation between the duration of voice usage and vocal issues among theater actors at the Theater Studio in the Surakarta City Area. Methods: Based on the type of data, this research is a quantitative study and is cross-sectional type. The sampling technique used in this research is purposive sampling with a sample size of 50 respondents. The statistical test employed is the Spearman’s Rank test. Results: The results of the correlation analysis using Spearman's Rank test indicate that the p-value is 0.188 or >0.05. It can be interpreted as accepting H₀ and rejecting Ha, indicating no relationship between the duration of voice use and voice problems in theater actors at the Theater Workshop in the Surakarta City area. Furthermore, the correlation strength (-0.189) is weak with a negative correlation direction, suggesting that the longer the duration of voice use, the smaller the value of voice problems. Conclusion: There is no correlation between the duration of voice usage and voice problems among theater actors at the Theater Studio in the Surakarta City Area. Keyword : Duration of Voice Use, Voice Problems, Theater Actors

МЕТАФОРИЧНІ СЦЕНАРІЇ В ПСИХОТЕРАПЕВТИЧНОМУ ДИСКУРСІ ІРВІНА ЯЛОМА

The article focuses on investigating psychotherapeutic discourse in view of cognitive linguistic approach. The objective of the present research is to reveal and describe the metaphor scenarios that constitute the range of the conceptual metaphor with the target domain PSYCHOTHERAPY, objectifi ed in the psychotherapeutic discourse. The study is based on the novels When Nietzsche Wept (1992) and The Schopenhauer Cure (2005) by a contemporary American existential psychiatrist, professor of psychiatry Irvin Yalom, the author of psychotherapeutic fi ction and nonfi ction. The psychotherapeutic discourse under study is viewed as a specifi c type of discourse that combines the properties of scientifi c discourse of individual and group psychotherapy and fi ction. The methodology of the practical analysis is based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Specifi cally, by applying the theory of metaphor scenarios, grounded by Andreas Musolff , we analyze metaphor scenarios that structure the particular source domains in their discourse manifestations. Within this approach, metaphor scenarios are viewed as discourse-mediated mininaratives, more specifi c than domains. The article discusses the following metaphor scenarios, objectifying the target domain (i.e., the process of group and individual psychotherapy) in the psychotherapeutic discourse by Irving Yalom: PSYCHOTHERAPY IS JOURNEY → PSYCHOTHERAPY IS MOUNTAIN TRIP BY THE TORRENT, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS SEA VOYAGE, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS FAMILY RELATIONS, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS HOUSECLEANING, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS CHIMNEY SWEEPING, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS CHESS GAME, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS GARDENING, PSYCHOTHERAPY IS DRESS REHEARSAL. The metaphoric scenarios, being discourse-based, highlight the relevant conceptual properties of the target domain in the novels, revealing focal points for conceptualizing group and individual therapy process. The analyzed scenarios highlight the therapist-patient cooperation properties, as well as the metaphoric roles of the therapist and patient within the scenarios under study, such as: GUIDE (RAILING BY THE TORRENT, CRUTCH) /TRAVELLER (STUDENT), SEA CAPTAIN/PASSENGER, PARENT/CHILD, OPENER OF RUSTY GATES, CHIMNEY-SWEEPER/OVERSEER, CHESS PLAYERS/OPPONENTS, GARDENER/ PLANT (LATE BLOOMER), THEATRE ACTORS. Key words: conceptual metaphor, domain, the range of metaphor, cognitive mechanisms, psychotherapeutic discourse, frame, metaphor scenario.

ON THE “CATECHISATION” OF THE THEATRE GENRE IN M. GLINKA’S WORKS. THE OPERA A LIFE FOR THE TSAR. Dedicated to the 220th Anniversary of the Composer. Essay I

The essay continues the discussion about the specifics of Russian musical theatre, which was started about two hundred years ago by V. Odoevsky and in which several generations of art historians have already participated. We are talking about the content of the “new direction in art”, according to Vladimir Odoevsky, which appeared and headed the world musical culture in connection with the name of the Russian genius, M. Glinka, the author of three theatrical works: the operas A Life for the Tsar (1836) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1842) as well as music for the tragedy Prince Kholmsky (1840). Let us say in advance that the last of the named works, despite its enduring artistic value, has not yet been included in the university curriculum for training musicians. The performance of this work in concerts is also a great rarity, given that the music to the tragedy Prince Kholmsky is, in essence, the first Russian program symphony, a “symphonic miracle”, as P. Tchaikovsky called it. In several essays, we will consider the three named works in detail: the dramaturgy of the libretto and the features of musical expression, the formation of the images of the characters. All these special issues will be studied in their relation to the Christian world-view, which has been, in our opinion, the main “marker” of Russian art at all times of its existence. This idea, although it is more and more pronounced these days, is still not assessed seriously enough in the scientific humanitarian sphere; it is considered most of all from the aesthetic side, only abstractly touching on the dramaturgy and the musical language of the works, in our case — ​operas and music for theatre. In fact, it is precisely the laws of the spiritual life of man, which underlie the world-view and behaviour of a Christian, that directly determine the logic of the theatrical action structure. Moreover, they explain the content of the libretto and music, constituting that very “novelty” designated by V. Odoevsky in connection with M. Glinka’s theatrical creative work.

Analyzing the Distinctions: Film Sets vs. Stage Platforms – Investigating the Subtle Differences between Theatre and Film

Often, we face an unspoken dispute between theatre actors and the stars emerging from lead or supporting roles in cinema. Who truly qualifies as a celebrity? Consequently, due to ignorance, trained theatre actors have become unsung heroes, while society has always highlighted screen personalities. This article showcases the main challenges faced by actors from both mediums, focusing on the differences between the two branches of acting. The first and most obvious difference lies in the space. In the section on the actor and the camera, we closely examined the dimensions of a cinema screen, the importance of sound, and how actors enter people’s homes through close-ups and all the adjacent structures of a film montage. While stage actor training must encompass the ability to maintain the truth of the character while adjusting the voice level slightly higher, in order to project that reality to a large audience, on the contrary, the camera functions like a microscope, scrutinizing every movement of the actor, even the softest whisper. These differences highlight the unique demands of each medium and underline the importance of adaptability and stage technique in an actor’s training and performance.

The Application of the Stanislavski System in Thai Court Drama Learning

Mixed-methods research is employed to investigate the implementation of the Stanislavski system in the study of Thai court drama. This study investigates the successful application of the Stanislavski method in Thai Court Theater, focusing on its role in enabling actors to portray emotions with accuracy and conviction. Research methods encompass activities including document and literature analysis, comprehensive interviews, observation of Thai Court Theater performances, data assessment, dissemination of academic findings, and clarification of results. The results illustrate that the utilization of Stanislavski’s acting technique amplifies the intensity and genuineness of Thai court dramas learning. Stanislavski enhances the authenticity of a performance. Actors can derive advantages from the act of committing lines and music to memory. Fluid movements and facial gestures. Actors convey emotion by aligning themselves with the tempo and significance of the scene. Understanding character backgrounds and attributes improves performance. It helps to facilitate the process of learning and creating dance choreography. Concentration enables a broad spectrum of focus. The performances take center stage. This method enhances the actors’ gestures, interactions, and relationships with the audience. An individual’s intrinsic motivation lies in comprehending a character’s objectives and employing personal encounters to elicit feelings. “This conveys emotion,” states Stanislavski. Players gain a clearer understanding of their roles when they have a vivid mental image. Vision enhances performance, ethics, and emotional intelligence. Physical activity, procreation, and intentional observation influence individuals’ existence. The Thai court game involves vigorous physical activity while wearing masks and costumes. Consequently, it is crucial to prioritize relaxation and maintain proper breathing. The implementation of Stanislavski’s ideas can aid Thai Court Theater actors in preserving and enhancing their artistic style. These techniques facilitate the discovery of emotional and cultural satisfaction for actors. This study discovered that the utilization of Stanislavski’s techniques enhances the emotional expressiveness of Thai court drama performers.

Body response

A theatrical work with focus on the production of subjectivity can only be observed through glimpses. The subjectivation processes, likewise, always manifests itself through flashes; only at very crucial and specific moments is it possible to witness their ocurrence. This text seeks to analyze and reflect on the establishment of processes of subjectivation through Theater Education in Theater workshops as part of the project approved at the University of the State of Minas Gerais under the Extension Support Program Announcement 01/2022. Based on the understanding that there is a possibility within the somatic work proposed by Theatre Education for the invention of worlds, serving as a tool for interventions in other aspects of life. In this way, the article analyzes a theatrical action experience through what we will call “body response”, a concept forged in light of experience that problematizes and articulates the somatic activity carried out during the theatre education workshops and the coordinated processes that create the plan of consistency. In the plan, the materials of expression, theatrical cognitions, qualities of bodies, the mobilization experienced, and the action, achieved in contact with other bodies, establishes and sustains itself in a true invention of existence.

Figuring Displacement: Spaces of Imagination in Early Modern and Postmodern Intertextual Transmissions

This essay examines, ecocritically, geocritically, and comparatively, the metaphoric spaces represented in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and in Julian Barnes’ A History of the World in 10½ Chapters—seas, mountains, islands, jungle—to show that these spaces allow for different interpretations, yet they are spaces of individual imagination in both the play and the novel, suggesting transformation and metamorphosis. I argue that these literary spaces show a common feature of displacement, which allows human language to re-imagine other worlds—in literature and in visual arts. The spaces of imagination proliferated through Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Barnes’ novel have suffered a transformation in time and space, as they speak to past and present audiences and readers. The sea in Barnes’ chapter entitled “Shipwreck” symbolizes danger but also hope, as does the sea in the storm scene in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The Mountain in Barnes’ eponymous chapter represents an isolated and inaccessible landscape on Mount Ararat, at the intersection of three cultures (Armenia, Turkey and Russia), but it also represents the biblical language of faith and hermitic isolation. Similarly, the island in The Tempest, which is—geologically—a mountain above the water, represents metaphorically the island of the mind. The jungle in Barnes’ chapter “Upstream” is a remote place in the forest on the Orinoco River, where Europeans and native Indians interact while making a movie; this movie is a work of visual art, represented in a novel; so is any one of the many productions of The Tempest, which reiterates the island’s imaginary space in various directorial interpretations. All these locations are metaphoric spaces of imagination, transmitted through different media, in which reality is transformed into literary representation by means of fictional description or theatrical action.

“Awful Skinny Boys” – Male Musical Theatre Performers’ Experiences of Body Image: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Body dissatisfaction is likely to be particularly salient in aesthetically focused professions, including the performing arts. However, there is a paucity of research involving male theatre performers. This study addressed this omission by exploring how male musical theatre actors experience body image. Interviews were conducted with 7 male performers and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings illustrate the lasting influence that instructors and the training environment have upon the participants’ perceptions of their bodies, participants’ desire to appear masculine through greater muscularity, and the dissatisfaction that occurs when they perceive that their bodies do not conform to rigid notions of gender and body ideals. This study also provides insight into the nuanced experience of existing within a body of worth, often commodified and sold to audiences. These findings highlight the importance of facilitating a supportive training environment and opening up conversations about body dissatisfaction among male performers.

Suicides of artists and their portrayal in Polish press before WWII

The article presents the ways Polish press of the 1920s and 1930s used to write about suicides of artists. The author analyses the stories of suicidal deaths of five people: theatre actress Alojza Żółkowska, actor and director Józef Poremba-Jaracz, an aspiring painter Helena Niemczewska (the daughter of the watercolourist Julian Fałat), film heartthrob Zbigniew Staniewicz, and theatre actor Sergiusz Niłus (Jerzy Alan). These instances demonstrate that pre-war journalists took a keen interest in the issue, especially the reasons behind the tragedies. Detailed descriptions of the course of events often revealed many details of the stars’ private lives, especially their health-related conditions.

Sensing a Twenty-First-Century Commons in the Theater: Relationality in a Climate of Distrust and Destruction

Abstract Conceptualizations of a “commons” have recently been gaining traction in theorizations of specific locations, gatherings, and activism in and beyond the arts. A theater-based commons that adopts a planetary and relational approach to selfhood, interaction, and future survival on Planet Earth tends to focus on breaking with social, political, economic, and aesthetic hierarchies. I will first introduce how notions of relationality have been integrated in theorizations of solidarity, humanitarian action, and a commons. Then, I will discuss these theorizations within the contexts of theater as communication and action that involves both theater-makers and audience members as actants. Finally, I intend to show how these conceptualizations can be meaningfully applied to unraveling the artistic strategies of a broad array of plays associated with the biannual theater festival Climate Change Theatre Action, which has been taking place before and after the United Nations Conference of the Parties climate conferences since 2015. The examples from the corpus of 250 five-minute plays are to illustrate the intervention of climate-change theater in potentially insurgent commons-based engagement and thinking which tries to avoid virtue signaling and other self-promoting forms of supposed solidarity.

SUPALI'S ACTING STYLE IN PERFORMANCE AS AN ESSENTIAL STUDY IN THE THEATER DEPARTMENT OF WILWATIKTA ARTS COLLEGE

Supali's acting style in the play Supali gendeng Wedokan (SGW) is an original research by the author, which is an academic work to find out Supali's acting style as a creative East Javanese actor who reacts in folk theater performances such as ludruk. Ludruk has become a traditional theater that has meaning as a good learning medium in society, especially East Java. As a study, it is necessary to examine the rich acting of ludruk actors who maintain the atmosphere of ludruk art until it is owned by the interested community. Supali is not even distant from the community, the figure of Supali has become an icon in every performance he plays so that every presence in the performance is always attended by his fans, namely the community, especially East Java. The purpose of this research is to find out the extent of the development and progress of Supali's acting style as an Indonesian traditional theater actor, especially when playing roles in the SGW play. Based on the overall description that has been done in the form of analysis, the answer to the formulation of this research problem, Supali's acting style in the performance of "Supali Gendeng Wedokan" in the performance produced by Perdana Record is a representation acting that contains many elements of acting styles that can be applied in one-time performances. The author also sees that Supali does mix-acting in his application when playing a character, be it a character outside himself, or playing his own character. In terms of acting style, Supali seems to dominate the caricatural style. In some sessions, Supali's acting can also be seen as in realism theater mixed with elements of Western theater. Thanks to his cleverness in processing the acting in a stylized way, Supali's acting is able to cause an alienation effect on the audience. The performance of SGW's play then solidified Supali's characteristics as a folk theater actor, especially ludruk, which contains elements of improvisation, humor or comedy, the use of East Javanese vocabulary, scenes based on gedripan, simple staging, spontaneous acting, kinship system directing, and singing, kidung and tembang.

The viability of social media theatre in Nigeria and the proliferation of actors and audience in the cyberspace

The emergence of the social media has indubitably altered the Nigerian theatre space. The social media stage has created a niche for individuals to somewhat independently practise theatre. The horde of actors and acting on the social media space or cyber space draws to itself a teeming audience that is better described as participators as they take active part in the performance through their views, reactions, comments, and replies. This deportment is so evident on the Nigeria social media space, creating new personalities such as Mama Uka, Ada Egara Nsukka, Oliver Nayoka, Mr. Funny (Oga Sabinus), and Brain Jotter. Using the media richness theory to attempt the development of social media theatre theory, this study takes an analysis of select Nigerian social media actors, their theatrics and relationship with their participators to appraise the viability of theatre on the social media stage. Their teeming followers – participators comprise people of disparate backgrounds who could have been cut off from the show if they were to attend the performances of those actors in the physical theatre, thus the proliferation of actors and participators on the social media space. Our conclusion is that the social media has improved, defying the physical limits of the traditional theatre. As individuals and groups begin to cultivate their theatre adventures on the cyber space which have observably received widespread participation, resulting from its elastic spatiality and impartation, professional theatre artists and groups need to cultivate more, the social media space for a sustainable theatre culture.

“Take my Moneybox”: The Symbolic Powers of the First Child Movie Stars in Early French Cinema (1906‐1916)

AbstractThis paper analyzes why child film star series produced by major French production companies (Pathé, Gaumont, Eclectic, and Éclair) in the early 1900s (Bébé, Bout‐de‐Zan, Willy, and the Maria Fromet series) were received with such interest by global audiences. This period, prior to World War I, was a brief era when French cinema held significant hegemony worldwide, before Hollywood's dominance began. There are ideas suggesting that child film stars emerged with American cinema. Contrary to this, however, French producers competed fiercely in the 10 years following 1906, producing series featuring child film stars. Substantial budgets were allocated for the marketing of these series, ultimately gaining a considerable fan base not only in Europe but also in America. When examining these film stars from the early 20th century within their historical context, they emerge as the first international child stars with international fame and financial success, unlike child musicians, vaudeville artists, and theater actors from the 18th and 19th centuries. Inspired by the field analysis of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, this article aims to establish a connection between the struggles within the field and the symbolic needs of the audience as reflected in the content of child star films. The films were viewed at the Eye Film Museum archive.

Семиотическое прочтение сценического костюма

The aim of the study is to identify cause-and-effect relations in semiotic interpretation of stage costume. The article explores the history of stage costume development, briefly presents its periodization with characteristic features of each stage, and socio-cultural forms of encoding. The scientific novelty of the research lies in focusing on the issue of costume semantics as an important component of the expressive system of modern music and theater productions. The research establishes that stage (theatrical) costume has its own developmental regularities and periodization caused by many factors. It is found that in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is an increasing interaction of two main trends: 1) stage costume is characterized by a high degree of codification and symbolism, with significant transformations in the specific content of symbols; 2) a variety of techniques are observed in achieving various aspects of “authenticity” in relation to theatrical action as a whole and theatrical costumes in particular.

Flourishing on the Stage: Embodied Reflexivity and the Effacing of Work Boundaries in Contemporary Performing Arts

This article contributes to the debate on individualised and reflexive processes taking place in contemporary cultural work by considering Italian theatre actors’ experiences. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews, the analysis focuses on work as the affective and reflexive site where subjectivities are formed. Performing artists display an embodied reflexive stance in which disciplinary practices and self-care instances are configured as both dispositives of an entrepreneurial ethos of work and as reflexive self-affirmative processes. Recognizing the embodied and emotional experiences that tie theatre actors to their professional activities, the paper considers the reflexive circularity that takes place between subjective meanings, affects and embedded experiences of work. Within this ongoing interpretive circle, cultural work emerges as positioned beyond traditional boundaries of work.

Acting Emotions: a comprehensive dataset of elicited emotions

Emotions encompass physiological systems that can be assessed through biosignals like electromyography and electrocardiography. Prior investigations in emotion recognition have primarily focused on general population samples, overlooking the specific context of theatre actors who possess exceptional abilities in conveying emotions to an audience, namely acting emotions. We conducted a study involving 11 professional actors to collect physiological data for acting emotions to investigate the correlation between biosignals and emotion expression. Our contribution is the DECEiVeR (DatasEt aCting Emotions Valence aRousal) dataset, a comprehensive collection of various physiological recordings meticulously curated to facilitate the recognition of a set of five emotions. Moreover, we conduct a preliminary analysis on modeling the recognition of acting emotions from raw, low- and mid-level temporal and spectral data and the reliability of physiological data across time. Our dataset aims to leverage a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between biosignals and emotional expression. It provides valuable insights into acting emotion recognition and affective computing by exposing the degree to which biosignals capture emotions elicited from inner stimuli.

ACTOR OF THE GERMAN CITY THEATRE IN RIGA – ALEXANDER DEUBNER AND HIS FAMILY

The research stage prior to historic building restoration more often comes with essential discoveries in the field of construction and the history of interior design, however, occasionally more fragile historical evidence, such as photographs and documents, are found. This is the case of the Deubners’ House, located at Skārņu Street 6 in Riga. Many family’s historical documents covering the period from the middle of the 19th century to 1940 were found during the restoration work undertaken on the Deubner’s House in the 1980s. In 2020, these historical documents were handed over to researchers. They revealed a great deal of unknown about the German City Theatre actor Alexander Deubner, who was once famous all over the world and now forgotten.Riga St. Peter's Church records made it possible to unearth the details of the branch of the Deubner’s family tree. While, the Deubner’s family archive materials that were accidentally discovered during the restoration, as well as the information published in periodicals and provided by museums allowed outlining particular aspects of Alexander Deubner’s creative work and life. Whereas, his family correspondence revealed some exciting facts about daily life of Rigans and dwellers of other European cities.

Artyści sztuki iluzji, aktorzy teatralni i ich poczucie jakości życia

The sense of quality of life is a subjective attitude towards the assessment of satisfaction with one’s own life. They can be divided into four spheres: psychophysical, psychosocial, subjective, and metaphysical. 210 people participated in the study – 53 illusionists, 52 theater actors, and 105 people who did not engage in activities related to public appearances. The groups were compared in terms of the sense of quality of life, and the study used the Sense of Life Quality Questionnaire by Straś-Romanowska, Oleszkowicz, and Frąckowiak (2004) in a modified version by Mróz et al. (2017). Theater actors and magicians had a higher level of satisfaction with the psychosocial sphere and a general level of quality of life compared to the control group (which has neither experience nor education related to stage performance). In terms of the psychophysical and metaphysical spheres of the sense of quality of life, theater actors were characterised by a higher level of satisfaction compared to people who did not engage in stage activity. In the conducted study, no statistically significant differences between groups were observed in relation to the subjective sphere of the sense of quality of life.

ДвоеВерие Евгения Иванова: к изучению роли В.Ф. Комиссаржевской в истории символистского жизнетворчества

The article, based on materials from two archival funds of the Manuscript Department of the Pushkin House, recreates in detail one of the most significant components of the spiritual life of Evgeny Ivanov (1879–1942), a writer and religious thinker, a close friend of А. Blok. It is the history of his long-term worship of Vera Komissarzhevskaya, which influenced not only the formation of his worldview but also his work (first of all, his unfinished articles about H. Ibsen’s female characters, about the high destiny of theatre actors, about religious faith). Ivanov found himself in a situation of religious dual faith (Orthodoxy and the rudiments of the Khlystism, Christianity and the interest in Slavic paganism), being at the same time in platonic love with two women under the name Vera — Komissarzhevskaya and V.N. Dyukova, his cousin. The materials presented in the study, including previously unpublished fragments of the diary, can be considered as a kind of backlight to the history of the creation of the poem “On the Death of Komissarzhevskaya” by A. Blok (1910). Most importantly, they explain the appearance in this text of the image of “promised spring.”

BUDDHIST MOTIVES IN THE CREATIVITY OF TSYRENDORZHO BALZHANOV (PROBLEMS OF DIRECTING AND TRAINING ACTORS IN THE BURYAT THEATRE IN THE 1990s and 2000s)

The article examines the creativity of the Buryat director Tsyrendorzho Balzhanov, formed in connection with theatrical phenomena and events that determined the future of the Buryat drama theater at the turn of cultural epochs. Having chosen the Buddhist theme as the main motive of his work, Tsyrendorzho Balzhanov faced a number of issues that raised the problem of staging solutions and the problem of training an actor while creating Buddhist images and characters, as well as the possibility of achieving a special state of «satori» in terms of theatrical action. The lack of experience in the religious productions in the Buryat drama theater, the theatrical and directorial legacy that remained from the theater of the Soviet years did not allow the Buryat director to consolidate the state of «satori», which he managed to achieve in the play «Damdin Lama». Based on this experience, which is more intuitive in nature, Tsyrendorzho Balzhanov de-voted the main part of his creative career to the search for directorial ap-proaches and tools, the development of acting training. The result of the search for the solutions that the Buryat director faced after the play «Damdin Lama» in 1990 was his scientific research «The Mys-tery of Tsam as a Buddhist philosophical text and ritual action» and the crea-tion of the acting training based on the methods of Oriental theater and Bud-dhist religious practices. The author concludes that the modern theater, which has experience of performative theater and postmodern philosophy, has the potential to create such productions, however, only in the director’s interpretation, without partic-ipation of the «actor-personality», who, according to Tsyrendorzho Balzhanov, remains the center of the director’s idea in the play imbued with the Buddhist motifs.