Theatrical Form Research Articles

Reinstalling the Fourth Wall: Digital Performance and Spectatorship in (Post-)Pandemic Era

Summary Theatre can be interpreted as a place where various modes of participation in the community or patterns of citizen behaviour can be rehearsed. In pre-pandemic Lithuanian theatre (as well as theatres of other Baltic countries) various forms of audience engagement were conspicuously emerging, ranging from physical co-creation practices to interactive forms of entertainment. After the global lockdown of theatre institutions the emerging forms of “virtual theatre”, ranging from performance recordings to zoom theatre, redefined the role of theatre spectatorship, in particular the notions of “active”, “passive”, “collective”, “individual”, fundamental for the understanding of the role of publics. Analysing the abundant examples of “pandemic theatre” one starts to think about the return of the digital “fourth wall”, where audiences are becoming distant spectators. This poses important questions to theatre research: whether these forms of theatre are strengthening the feeling of passivity and isolation, serve as platforms for much-needed psychological escapism or offer a critical revaluation of the essential principles of theatre art. With the help of two case studies, this paper will define and analyse the prevailing practices of pandemic Lithuanian theatre and will outline whether and how the fundamental categories associated with the spectator’s experience of theatre have changed in the post-pandemic era.

Research and sound quality analysis of little theaters in Guangdong universities

Little theaters have become a new type of theater form with their low investment costs, diverse space designs, and rich performance genres. In this paper the building acoustic design is focused on as a key point to research the audience hall space, the spatial shape, stage form and audience hall seating capacity in little theaters, and it is explored that the applicability of such new audience hall spaces to domestic theater design guidelines. One of the typical little theaters is studied by ODEON simulation. The simulation results show that the mid-frequency value of reverberation time (T30) is higher, which is not meet with the mid-frequency range of the domestic theater design guidelines for reverberation time.

The Living Inheritance and Moving Progress of Contemporary Cantonese Opera from the Perspective of Communication

Between July 3 and July 28, 2023, Television Broadcasts Limited released the Hong Kong drama Unchained Medley, which used a small village in the countryside and Cantonese Opera as the backdrop for the drama. It tells a tragic and touching story of human-ghost love between pop musician Ivan Zhang and the female ghost Wan Lau Fong (Cantonese transliteration is used). Artistic elements in Unchained Medley - Cantonese Opera is an ancient form of traditional Chinese theater, a local performing art that employs Cantonese as the language of performance, singing, acting, reciting and traditional folk music, along with distinctive stage costumes and abstract forms. When reviewing Chinese and English papers published between 2019 and 2023, research on the analysis of Cantonese opera primarily focused on the transformation of performance forms and the creation of Cantonese opera repertoire content. However, there needs to be more in living inheritance with Cantonese Opera. This paper utilizes James W. Careys The Ritual View of Communication as a theoretical framework. The article mainly adopts methods such as literature review, case studies, and comparative analysis to elucidate the significance and complex dilemmas surrounding the vibrant communications of Cantonese opera in the post-COVID world. It then consolidates and summarizes research experiences related to the protection and universal transmission of Cantonese opera in every aspect, laying the foundation for the in-depth development of Cantonese opera research.

"It Feels So Real": The Value of Using Elements of Theatre to Rehearse a Profession

Abstract: In partnering with occupational therapy (OT) degree programs to enhance students' preparedness for the field, the applied theatre in education company, Theatre in Tandem, implemented sessions utilizing the applied theatre forms of structured improvisation and role-play to rehearse the profession. This piece documents learning possibilities found in the unpredictability of these theatre conventions: supporting the classroom curriculum, navigating realistic interactions in simulated scenarios, and creating space for the students to negotiate ambiguity as they made connections between the classroom learnings and the professional field.

Black and Asian women faculty: a reader’s theater highlighting their experiences across three Hispanic-Serving Institutions

The counterstories of Black and Asian women faculty across three Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) as interpreted through Critical Race Feminism are shared in a Reader’s Theater format presented as three acts featuring conversations between the participants. In Act I, Black women faculty revealed experiences with Anti-Blackness and colorism surrounding their HSIs. Act II revealed a need for mentoring. In Act III, Black and Asian women faculty shared feeling the onus was placed upon them to build cultural competence on their HSI campuses. This Reader’s Theater denotes a need for HSIs to foster an inclusive environment for Black and Asian women faculty.

Characteristics and Signs of Féerie (Based on Examples of Literary Works of the Early XX century)

“Féerie” is a term often associated with magic that is found in various forms of artistic expression, including literature, theater and visual arts. The relevance of the article is characterized by the analysis of the “féerie” in the genre and structural aspect in the context of structure and composition in general fiction and on the examples of the works of A. Green “Scarlet Sails”, M. Maeterlinck “Blue Bird, Lesya Ukrainka “Forest Song”. On the basis of examples of works of art taken for analysis, a comprehensive presentation of the nature of the “féerie” in a literary context is carried out. The purpose of this article is to reveal the originality of the “féerie” and its manifestations in the work. Comparative and generalizing methods were used in the analysis of the “feerie” based on the texts of works of art. Special attention was paid to the consideration of characters, situations, quarrels, images that are considered separate components of the “féerie”. The works also reflect the interaction of “féerie” with other genre types (fairy tale, mythology, fantasy) and the integration of their personal qualities. Thus, a comparative analysis of the features of “féerie” in various works allowed us to identify the most important criteria for determining the genre of “feerie”. It was possible to show the genre nature of literary “féeries” written at the beginning of the XX century, to identify their common features and features through textual comparison. As a result of the research, it is concluded that the “féerie” in artistic works partially retains its properties inherent in the theatrical sphere.

No, It’s All Wrong! Director’s Theatre in Opera: Fidelity to the Work, Fidelity to the Audience

The article is dedicated to the emergence and development of the phenomenon of interpretive theatre direction in opera as an art form. The author investigates the historical roots of director’s theater in relation to opera, the inevitable interaction of theatre and society, and the audience’s experience in relation to comfort and discomfort. Various aspects of the relevance of interpretive opera direction are presented to the reader. Discussions of the ways in which direction and the theater and music industries have developed show the problems of opera as a theatrical form. The article analyzes the cultural differences in the existence of director’s theater based on the demands of the state, society, and existing theatrical traditions. It offers an overview of the fundamental trends and a gallery of the most important personalities in the history of director’s theater. In the final part of the article, the author provides a forecast for the future.

Morphosyntactic Changes and Sociolinguistic Variation in the Language of Kyōgen A Corpus-Based Analysis of Toraakirabon (1642)

The aim of this paper is to analyse morphosyntactic structures in the language of kyōgen – a traditional form of Japanese comic theatre developed in the fourteenth century – from a sociolinguistic perspective, i.e. by highlighting differences in usage across various categories of characters, using the Corpus of Historical Japanese (CHJ). This paper will focus on the use of the particles ga and no with nominative and attributive functions and on the decline of kakari-musubi with koso in Toraakirabon (1642). The analysis will reveal that linguistic characterization is rendered not only through the lexicon, but also, as in the case of female characters, through a particular use of morphosyntactic structures, which appears less influenced by linguistic innovations.

Kafka’s Ape Meets the Natyashastra

To the Academy is a multi-media performance work that makes poignant and humorous commentary about education, common paradigms of diversity, and the oppressive nature of institutional labor. Created through a dialogue between myself, an Indian American with training in various forms of physical theatre and Indian dance, and Guyanese-Canadian actor Marc Gomes, it has been performed at several universities and arts centers since 2015. In this essay, I will interrogate the ways in which we place select elements of “Indian tradition” at the service of the piece’s overarching theme of histories of European domination, asking whether making these cultural materials subservient to our political agenda constitutes a form of appropriation. I examine three components of the work: the character of the classical Indian dancer who appears in the first section of the show, the explicit references to the ancient Sanskrit treatise on performance, the Natyashastra, and the framing of both these elements within our adaptation of Franz Kafka’s story, “Report to an Academy,” about an ape who learns to impersonate humans. In so doing, I explore the ethical responsibilities artists of color have in working with intercultural aesthetics. Furthermore, I assert the inevitably ambivalent nature of activist performance, even if artists aim to resist hegemonic structures.

POLITICAL PERFORMANCE AND DISCURSIVE DEMOCRACY: PECULIARITIES OF THE POLITICAL ACTIONISM`S INTERPRETATION

The article is devoted to clarifying the significance of a political performance, which acts as a theatrical communication action designed to draw society’s attention to the important problems of certain social or political groups. The purpose of the research is to establish the peculiarities of the interpretation of political performance in the paradigmatic and methodological dimensions of modern discursive democracy. The development of political performance under the conditions of the modern Russian-Ukrainian war is characterized. It was found that an important task of modern political science should be considered the identification of paradigmatic dimensions (or “poles”) of analytical judgments regarding the assessment of the significance of political performances. It was emphasized that political performance acts as a postmodern alternative to the realization of the unfinished project of political modernity. The importance of political performance for the discussion of society’s problems at the political level and its dependence on a specific topic and the subjects of its application are analyzed. The importance of public discussion and manifestation as signs of broad involvement of citizens in democratic political activity is revealed. It was found that the ability to express political meaning in a theatrical form is beyond the limits of rational planning and organization. It is revealed that the functionality of political performance stems from its connection with specific social groups. It has been proven that political performances are a form that contradicts the formal procedure of expressing the will and approving the results of the discussion. It has been established that, subject to regulatory support from the state, discussions require voluntary participation and a significant level of competence. It is assumed that political performance can provide certain advantages in political competition due to the imagery and emotionality of the political message. The limited suitability of performance for promoting the values of deliberative democracy has been established, since many cases of the use of performances in the modern period are related to the defense of the right to freedom of speech. It was concluded that in the conditions of political discussions, the importance of political performance consists in creating preliminary conditions for political dialogue.

PRIMIJENJENI TEATAR U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI STRATEŠKI RAZVOJ I PRIMJENA U DRUŠTVENOJ ZAJEDNICI / APPLIED THEATER IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION IN THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY

The primary goal of this paper is to examine the potential possibilities of applied theater in the social community in BiH. Applied theater projects can create a range of impacts: moments of happiness, a growing sense of recognition and emotional well-being to increased awareness of the social situation in the community. Applied theater is aimed at an individual who is not a theater professional of all ages, but is led by professionals, because, using the basic features of acting / drama studied at the Academy of Performing Arts, such as: action, situation, character, conflicted the relationship helps to identify participants with a focused problem of a specific target group and leads to communication about the problem and playing different potential solutions to the conflict. Applied theater is an interactive theatrical form that seeks an engaged spectator, not a passive observer, and deinstitutionalizes theater and leads to an audience that is not primarily theatrical. Forms of applied theater that are used experimentally and occasionally in pedagogical and educational work in BiH are mostly supported by the non-governmental sector, but there is no strategic engagement and development of professional academic staff, graduates, directors, playwrights and orchestrations with other university units. The paper will also present different forms / types / styles of applied theater, as well as documentary and documentary character and the possibility of different aesthetics, but also the synergy between forms and methodologies. The paper will analyze practical experiences and suggest platforms for scientific research and artistic research dedicated to drama as therapy as a dynamic force aimed at correcting social change.

Developing carbon dioxide removal policy and anticipatory perspectives in the United Kingdom and United States

The deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to GtCO2 scale by the mid-century is integral to realising net zero. Some CDR methods are technically maturing whilst some are in the early stages of innovation. At the same time, first mover nations are implementing policy and regulatory frameworks to establish this sector. Policy analysis around CDR has therefore become an area of focus as a function of its importance in establishing, developing and scaling a just, equitable and sustainable net zero transition. Policy development for sustainable transitions tends to use consolidative modelling approaches. These, often protracted, analyses can become quickly outdated in dynamic fast-moving sectors, and be unable to manage the multiple objectives that actors seek when innovating. The innovation rate required to scale the CDR sector and the extent of uncertainty to realise net zero, questions the applicability of these approaches.This research proposes a novel rapid policy analysis process, based on the decision theatre format, that uses strategic foresight to develop anticipatory, values-based CDR policy insights. This contribution prototypes this rapid approach on two pioneer national CDR developers - the United Kingdom and United States. Through its application, the method identifies opportunities for globally collaborative CDR policy intervention - a roadmap, a coordination hub, and agile policy processes - supported by regional policy specialisations - coordinating offices, measurement standards, and public capacity building - to achieve GtCO2 scale CDR deployment. Most importantly, the proposed approach provides a rapid method for sustainable transitions policy analysis in contexts of deep uncertainty.

Play, Defiance and Imagination As Forms Of Knowledge Production : Examining Bidesiya As Folk Theatre and Its Pedagogical Implications in Classrooms Of Literature

India houses a number of folk theatrical forms that are simple and closer to the rural milieu. After the decline of Sanskrit classical drama in India, from the 14th to the 19th century, folk theatre emerged in myriads of rural languages. These theatrical forms can be categorised under two broad genres, viz., "Ritual Theatre" that was religious in nature, and the "Theatre of Entertainment," which was more secular in mood. One such example of the secular form is Bidesiya, the dynamic and popular theatre of Bihar. Bidesiya, like the name suggests, revolves around the "bides" / "pardes," i. e., foreign land / homeland dichotomy. Bidesiya emerged and was given shape by Bhikhari Thakur, the highly-acclaimed poet, playwright, and actor, and aimed at disseminating some kind of social message through the plays. Bidesiya also makes use of a plethora of folk songs that are rooted in Bihar's soil, and these plays were primarily performed by actors belonging to lower-caste communities. The most crucial aspect of Bidesiya is that this folk theatrical form is fundamentally radical and fluid in terms of how it deals with gender. Bidesiya showcases Launda naach — or the dance native to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that is performed by female impersonators — as a powerful theatrical technique. The present paper seeks to scrutinise Bidesiya as a gender-fluid folk theatrical form of India, and further explores the manner in which Bidesiya problematises the essentialist notion of fixed gender identity. The paper, therefore, begins with an elaborate discussion on the origin of Bidesiya, and moves on to study its various aspects, including the structure of the plays and the performers' troupes, the "men's" and "women's" folk songs which are associated with the genre, and the underpinnings of the staged performances. The paper then investigates the obfuscation of gender by the actors, visible in Launda Naach — the central element of Bidesiya plays — and the presentation of the songs, written from feminine perspective, by men. The concluding section of the paper highlights the pedagogical implications of Bidesiya and its relevance in classrooms, with a special emphasis on how gender is revealed as performative in the plays. Introducing Bidesiya in classroom education resists didacticism by promoting hands-on learning, creates a space for the students to locate themselves within the broad spectrum of gender identities, and also indulges imaginative voyages, as this paper will show.

Anti-Colonial Performance Traditions in Manipur: Perspectives from Shumang Kumhei Theatre

Post-colonialism has not brought to an end the perpetuation of colonial power structures and suppression. The ex-colonized countries still suffer from many forms of colonialism. In Manipur, a state located in the northeastern corner of India within the monsoonal tropics, complex political and cultural issues such as insurgencies, militarization and problems of Hinduization interweave through the post-colonial scenario. The rise of insurgencies after Manipur’s merger to the Indian Union in 1949, have resulted in armed conflicts within the state and have brought situations of turmoil and suffering to the people. Prior to British colonization, Hinduization had already begun in the 15th century and the ‘cultural insurgents’ of Manipur to this day consider it a lasting imperialist force which tries to subjugate and suppress the Indigenous culture and religion of the people of Manipur. In these circumstances, theatre, which is the closest medium to the people, evolved as a decolonizing agent by proposing self-determination and peace building. Hence, by taking the account of Manipur and its Indigenous Meitei theatre form of Shumang Kumhei, this paper attempts to discuss the power and purpose of theatre in situations where political, religious and cultural suppression still operate and colonial structures still function, now in neocolonial forms.

Darijan Božič’s Musical Theatre Opus in the Context of the Slovenian Musical Theatre Scene: An Escape into the LiteraryDramatic in Opposition to the Desire for the Institutional

Among Slovenian modernist composers, Darijan Božič dedicated the largest part of his work to musical theatre. The genre classifications of his works show that the composer constantly searched for a new form of musical theatre. It would appear that he finally settled on a medium that could almost be designated as a “radio play”, with an emphasis usually on the spoken word, accompanied by occasional interventions of instrumental music. Over time, these interventions appeared to lose their modernist edge (harmonic clusters) and approach postmodernism by juxtaposing diverse elements. Thus, a characteristic of Božic’s works is their double imbalance: the language strongly dominates the music, while at the same time, the composer’s desire to implement avant-garde theatrical procedures in an institutional opera house seems unusual.

Darijan Božič’s Musical Theatre Opus in the Context of the Slovenian Musical Theatre Scene: An Escape into the LiteraryDramatic in Opposition to the Desire for the Institutional

Among Slovenian modernist composers, Darijan Božič dedicated the largest part of his work to musical theatre. The genre classifications of his works show that the composer constantly searched for a new form of musical theatre. It would appear that he finally settled on a medium that could almost be designated as a “radio play”, with an emphasis usually on the spoken word, accompanied by occasional interventions of instrumental music. Over time, these interventions appeared to lose their modernist edge (harmonic clusters) and approach postmodernism by juxtaposing diverse elements. Thus, a characteristic of Božic’s works is their double imbalance: the language strongly dominates the music, while at the same time, the composer’s desire to implement avant-garde theatrical procedures in an institutional opera house seems unusual.

Darijan Božič’s Musical Theatre Opus in the Context of the Slovenian Musical Theatre Scene: An Escape into the LiteraryDramatic in Opposition to the Desire for the Institutional

Among Slovenian modernist composers, Darijan Božič dedicated the largest part of his work to musical theatre. The genre classifications of his works show that the composer constantly searched for a new form of musical theatre. It would appear that he finally settled on a medium that could almost be designated as a “radio play”, with an emphasis usually on the spoken word, accompanied by occasional interventions of instrumental music. Over time, these interventions appeared to lose their modernist edge (harmonic clusters) and approach postmodernism by juxtaposing diverse elements. Thus, a characteristic of Božic’s works is their double imbalance: the language strongly dominates the music, while at the same time, the composer’s desire to implement avant-garde theatrical procedures in an institutional opera house seems unusual.

Darijan Božič’s Musical Theatre Opus in the Context of the Slovenian Musical Theatre Scene: An Escape into the LiteraryDramatic in Opposition to the Desire for the Institutional

Among Slovenian modernist composers, Darijan Božič dedicated the largest part of his work to musical theatre. The genre classifications of his works show that the composer constantly searched for a new form of musical theatre. It would appear that he finally settled on a medium that could almost be designated as a “radio play”, with an emphasis usually on the spoken word, accompanied by occasional interventions of instrumental music. Over time, these interventions appeared to lose their modernist edge (harmonic clusters) and approach postmodernism by juxtaposing diverse elements. Thus, a characteristic of Božic’s works is their double imbalance: the language strongly dominates the music, while at the same time, the composer’s desire to implement avant-garde theatrical procedures in an institutional opera house seems unusual.

Performing Literature and Staged Readings

In 2005, on the initiative of playwright Simona Semenič and in close collaboration with performing arts theorist Rok Vevar, a group of playwrights and dramaturgs founded PreGlej within the Glej Theatre in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The group confronted the issues of playwriting and, within a few years, established a platform for the creation, development and international exchange of dramatic writing. Their work was committed to establishing the conditions necessary for creating dramatic texts. To this end, they used the form of staged readings – not only as a public presentation of dramatic plays but as a method for developing drama, bringing drama as a work in progress. The article shows that this kind of playwriting practice on Slovenian stages has its precursors in the experimental theatre practices of the 1960s and 1970s (as applied by the neo-avant-garde groups of poets 441/442/443, Nomenklatura and LKB – Literarni klub Branik, as well as in the performances of writers presenting their literary works at the Pekarna Theatre). Poets and writers staged their works, which were not primarily intended to be performed, creating theatrical forms of writing for the stage, which fit neither the conventions of drama nor the tradition of theatre. The staging of literature and staged readings are discussed in the context of performance writing, which characterises the multiple relationships between writing and performance, focusing on the process of writing as a performative act.

Performing Literature and Staged Readings

In 2005, on the initiative of playwright Simona Semenič and in close collaboration with performing arts theorist Rok Vevar, a group of playwrights and dramaturgs founded PreGlej within the Glej Theatre in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The group confronted the issues of playwriting and, within a few years, established a platform for the creation, development and international exchange of dramatic writing. Their work was committed to establishing the conditions necessary for creating dramatic texts. To this end, they used the form of staged readings – not only as a public presentation of dramatic plays but as a method for developing drama, bringing drama as a work in progress. The article shows that this kind of playwriting practice on Slovenian stages has its precursors in the experimental theatre practices of the 1960s and 1970s (as applied by the neo-avant-garde groups of poets 441/442/443, Nomenklatura and LKB – Literarni klub Branik, as well as in the performances of writers presenting their literary works at the Pekarna Theatre). Poets and writers staged their works, which were not primarily intended to be performed, creating theatrical forms of writing for the stage, which fit neither the conventions of drama nor the tradition of theatre. The staging of literature and staged readings are discussed in the context of performance writing, which characterises the multiple relationships between writing and performance, focusing on the process of writing as a performative act.