Theatrical Production Research Articles

«Cвітова річ» Олени Пчілки у вимірах метадраматичної парадигми

The article analyzes Olena Pchilka’s play “The World Thing” in the light of metadrama theory. Even though traditionally metadramatic aesthetics is considered incompatible with the poetics of realism, the work of the Ukrainian author has become an example of the active use of various metadramatic elements. Methodology. The principles of metadramatic analysis are applied in the research and contribute to a deeper understanding of the Ukrainian national drama of the late 19th century, revealing the nature of the interaction between the cultural context, folklore, dramatic traditions, and reading performative techniques. The latter are important factors of theatricalization and are realized at the level of individual cues, through internal staging and are a means of synthesizing metadramatic and realistic aesthetics. The scientific novelty is that this methodology has been applied for the first time to a little-studied play by Olena Pchilka. The purpose of the article. The article aims to demonstrate the peculiarities of combining traditional and innovative elements in the work by Olena Pchilka in the context of the development of Ukrainian metadrama in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Results. The play “The World’s Thing” depicts the birth of the idea of a theatrical production that has the potential of an inner play. The metacritical discourse is realized through the discussion about theatrical trends, acting roles (emploi), and the purpose of the theater. Anti-theatrical discussions have also a metadramatic character for they debunk everyday acting. Metadramatic poetics is based on performative elements: staging or reflection on wooing rituals, weddings, funerals, etc. Conclusions. The wedding and the trial, although not shown in the play, are phantom performances that, through constant reference to them in the characters’ remarks, contribute to the activation of cultural memory and the doubling of stage reality. The audience also acts as a metadramatic factor, whose reaction to the actions of the main characters becomes a moral and ethical catalyst.

Invisible labour and in-kind contribution in dance and theatre productions: Embodied impacts and hidden somatic costs

The performing arts sector is in crisis as it confronts its reliance on unpaid immaterial labour and in-kind contributions by individual artists. Independent performing artists become good at balancing financial benefits with pleasure and esteem measures within their creative lives. However, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more and more challenging to sustain a sector that relies on this generosity. This article seeks to better understand the impact of the long-term reliance on the goodwill of independent artists on the artists themselves. It shares artists’ stories and identifies the various types of labour that fall into the unpaid category for independent artists and artist-led companies producing dance and theatre in Melbourne, Australia. The article considers how the practitioner’s body endures the cost of this labour as a somatic load and how this impacts their well-being, health and creative lives.

The melodrama Heroica in adversis constantia Thomae Mori as an example of Olomouc Jesuit sodality theater production in the context of Holy Week

The story of Thomas More became the subject of dozens of plays on many European stages shortly after his death, including school plays, operas and oratorios, traveling theater troupe performances, burlesques, etc. With regard to Jesuit production in Europe, very few complete texts of plays have survived. In this respect, the Czech lands have a special position: Carolus Kolczawa’s play Constantia in fide orthodoxa (1716) and the Jesuit melodrama Heroica in adversis constantia Thomae Mori (1727) have been preserved, the latter work in a set of 14 printed librettos of melodramas of the Olomouc Jesuit academic sodality. The Latin melodramas are related to the Lenten meditations and celebrations of this sodality during Passion Week and were performed on Palm Sundays. Our study will focus on a melodrama about Thomas More as a model of the theater production of the Olomouc Jesuit sodality during Passion Week.

Dynamics of Changing Profile of Russian Identity in 2021–2023 (the case of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia))

The article presents the first results of applying a multidimensional approach to studying dynamic changes in various aspects of Russian civil identity in 2021–23. It uses a technique based on a five-component model for measuring group identification developed by K. Leach et al. The empirical base for the study is data from a survey conducted among residents of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Based on the analysis of the results, the author concludes that 2022 was a period of social and political turbulence, during which there was a rethinking of both the sense of belonging to Russian society and the perception of it as an integral entity. The most significant events for all generations of Russians were discussions and conflicts on issues related to belonging, commitment to, or at least loyalty towards, the Russian community, its values, norms, and historical path. In 2023, the process of the Russian community consolidation became dominant, as evidenced by the growing indicators of all dimensions of Russian identity above the average. The most active growth was seen in groups with high self-esteem in those identity parameters that reflect individual efforts to rethink and inform a personal attitude towards the Russian community. While, according to parameters that rather reflect the formation of a generalized image of the Russian community as a whole in the information environment (including images transmit through social networks, mass media, texts of fiction, theatrical productions, cinematography, TV etc.), the increase in groups with high values was less significant.

Memory, Real and Subjectivity in the Contemporary Latin American Scene

In this text we present stage productions/staged performances with which the authors relate as spectators or as researchers and artist-creators. This analysis of works is based on the discussion of devices of theatricality and performance in contemporary theatre, and their relationships with reality and individual and collective memory. This paper aims to follow, through theatre productions, the ways in which the collective memory is activated in the Latin American space, to detect the common points between socio-political events and the possibilities of reproduction on the contemporary stage, and to discuss the relationship that is established between social reality and stage reality. For that, we analyzed the two works Sin título. Técnica mixta/Perú and Memorial de Silêncios e Margaridas/Brazil. Both are seen as acts of memory in dialogue with reality.

HPB SO53 - Implementation of High Volume-Low Complexity 'GIRFT' lists for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract Background Waiting times for elective surgery have risen steadily since 2010, with particularly sharp increases after the Covid pandemic. There have been several initiatives to improve theatre productivity and increase operative numbers and these are broadly encompassed within GIRFT standards and the development of the concept of a High Volume-Low Complexity list. Current GIRFT standards recommend six laparoscopic cholecystectomies on an all-day operating list. This study aimed to describe the development and implementation of these lists within out district general hospital setting and outline the key barriers and solutions for other units to learn from. Method All patients on the waiting list for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were assessed and screened by a panel of consultant surgeons to assess suitability for a HVLC list. Theatre staff, anaesthetists and surgeons were widely consulted within local focus groups and a novel method of remuneration for additional work was developed: a 'cost-per-case (CPC)' remuneration structure was introduced (in contrast to standard remuneration by session time) to ensure productivity and high quality surgery. Operations were carried out on weekend lists in a dedicated accredited Elective Surgical Hub and staff were able to finish the day when all operations were completed. Results CPC lists took place from August 2023 to May 2024. All lists had six laparoscopic cholecystectomies or eight hernia repairs (or a combination) in line with GIRFT standards. Overall 124 cholecystectomies were performed and 119 were completed on a day case basis. The remaining 5 patients had a single night stay. There were no returns-to-theatre or major morbidity. All lists had started by 830AM and the latest finish time throughout the study period was 1525PM. The utilisation of CPC lists contributed to waiting times falling dramatically from over 52 weeks to 28 weeks by the end of the study period. Conclusion By utilising a novel form of remuneration, based on volume of work completed rather than time, we were able to maximise productivity without compromising safety whilst developing employment conditions that encouraged colleagues to perform additional work. Key facets to successful implementation include appropriate screening of cases, allowing staff to leave when the work is completed (rather than have to wait till the end of the day) and standardising equipment and kit to reduce wastage and turnaround time between cases. These lessons can be implemented in any surgical unit to improve productivity and increase volume of cases performed.

Live-Capture Filmed Theatre Productions: A New Hybrid Art Form Between Film and Theatre

This paper explores the unique positioning of live-capture filmed theatre, specifically referring to National Theatre Live examples, through the lenses of film theory and genre studies. Live-capture filmed theatre has gained substantial traction, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the transition of theatre into online platforms. This study examines how this hybrid form is conceptualized within contemporary film theory and genre frameworks. Drawing on D.N. Rodowick’s insights into the fluid and evolving nature of cinema and Siegfried Kracauer’s critique of early filmed theatre’s “canning,” the paper evaluates how live-capture filmed theatre both sticks to and differs from traditional cinematic norms. Additionally, Rick Altman’s semantic/syntactic/pragmatic genre theory provides a framework for assessing the hybrid characteristics of live-capture filmed theatre. The analysis reveals that while live-capture theatre fits neither conventional film genres nor fully reflects theatrical experiences, it operates within a distinct hybrid space that blends elements of both media. Ultimately, live-capture filmed theatre is positioned as a new hybrid art form that challenges conventional definitions of film and theatre. It contributes to the evolving discourse on audiovisual media by offering new industrial opportunities and enhancing global accessibility to theatrical performances. This study highlights the need for continuous exploration of hybrid art forms and their impact on the future of film and theatre studies.

Indonesian Performing Arts in the Era of Covid-19: Digitizing Campus Theatre

Abstract In Indonesia, the Covid-19 pandemic dramatically affected many sectors, in particular modern theatre and higher education institutions that host campus theatres. This study focuses on the strategies employed by campus theatres to survive the pandemic, focusing on digital theatre productions by Petra Theatre (formerly Petra Little Theatre) in Surabaya, Play Performance Class in Yogyakarta, and Teater Kampus in Makassar posted on YouTube in 2020–2022. Taking the perspectives by Matthew Causey on digital performance, supported by Sarah Bay-Cheng’s dramaturgy of distortion of mediated theatre, and by Philip Auslander on liveness in mediatized performance, we analyze the emergence of certain aspects of mediatized/digital theatre that pertain to actor-audience relation and time-space relations exemplified by the digital performance offered by these three campus theatres.

Implicit cultural policies in Zimbabwe: insights from Stephen Joel Chifunyise’s plays and theatre

Sometimes cultural policies are dismissed and criticized by some artists and cultural practitioners as banal and other times they are deemed pivotal in the democratization of culture, cultural democracy and the advancement of a democratic society. This ambivalent perception of arts and cultural policies results in many missed opportunities in the production and distribution of cultural and creative expressions like plays and theatre. This paper sets out to answer the question about how cultural policies shape the advancement of cultural and creative expressions in post-independence Zimbabwe. Stephen Joel Chifunyise’s plays and theatre as case examples provide insightful snippets of the role and power of cultural policies in the advancement of the cultural and creative sector and the broader society. This is achieved through a review of academic publications, policy documents and cultural policy texts. The theoretical lens partially deployed here is interpretive policy analysis, which reads the meaning of cultural policies through authored and constructed policy texts such as plays, theatre productions, theatre infrastructure, theatre festivals, publishing houses, book fairs, policy documents and public pronouncements. In addition to the interpretive policy analysis, I also deploy the concept of explicit and implicit cultural policies to comprehensively look at the role of direct cultural policies and indirect cultural policies in the theatre sector in Zimbabwe. The second lens is used to analyse the impact of Zimbabwean implicit and explicit cultural policies on the theatre sector through Chifunyise’s plays and theatre. In critically answering the central question, this paper argues that Zimbabwe has several implicit cultural policies whose effect on the theatre is felt more through constructed cultural policy texts than authored cultural policy texts, and thus, all cultural expressions are inevitably shaped by one cultural policy or the other.

Staging anxiety through magical realism: A practice-based exploration in two theatrical productions

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in everyday life, yet theatrical realism often struggles to capture and convey the lived experiences from the points of view of those affected. This practice-based research explores how magical realism can serve as an alternative mode of representation to depict the internal experiences of characters with anxiety disorders on stage. The study began with a literature review on magical realism and anxiety disorders, identifying key characteristics that informed the development of performances. Through a devising process, the research culminated in two distinct productions: “The Practice,” a devised piece created with a group of seven actors and showcased at the Bangkok Theatre Festival in November 2022, and “As Fa As Farida,” a solo performance developed collaboratively by the researcher-director and an actor, staged in May and June 2023 at the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Despite differences in scale and presentation, both performances were able to portray the inner worlds of characters with anxiety disorders through the essence of magical realism, characterized by four main themes identified through thematic analysis: the interplay of reality and fantasy, the disruption of space and time, metatheatrical reflections on society and identity, and voices from the margins. The insights from this study can guide future theatrical experiments and be applied across various media, including literature, film, and other art forms.

The Acceptability, Safety and Impact of a Play Co-Developed With Public Contributors as a Format for Disseminating Research on a Sensitive Subject.

Patient and public involvement (PPI) and dissemination of research findings are key parts of the pathway to research impact; however, traditional approaches often fail to engage non-academic audiences. Creative methods such as co-developed plays can be effective ways of making the research process and findings more engaging and accessible to the public. Not much is known about how to safely involve patients and the public in the development and delivery of plays disseminating research on sensitive subjects. Members of a PPI group on a study about mindfulness for women with a history of domestic abuse co-developed and performed a play about their experiences. This study aimed to evaluate the impact, acceptability and safety of a co-developed play in publicizing PPI and findings from research on domestic abuse. We conducted a mixed-methods study with the play team and audience. We collected 20 quantitative and 56 qualitative survey responses from audience members, carried out 4.25 h of direct observations of play performances and interviewed seven audience members and eight play team members. Data were analyzed using the framework method and descriptive statistics, using a'following a thread' approach to integrate qualitative and quantitative findings in themes answering our study aim. We developed three integrated themes with ten sub-themes. The 'Value' theme summarized the plays' impact on audience understanding, potential mechanisms of impact and its effectiveness in depth over breadth of dissemination. The 'Re-traumatization' theme described potential harms of the play, the risks of re-traumatizing actors and distressing audiences. The 'Reducing the risks' theme summarized ways of reducing these risks of harm. A play co-developed and performed by study PPI members raised awareness of domestic abuse. However, there were divergent opinions on its value in disseminating messages about PPI in research on sensitive subjects. The value of the play for research dissemination was linked to its ability to emotionally engage the public, and to its accessibility. Implementing strategies to reduce the risk of re-traumatizing audience members and the project team is recommended. Everyone with direct experience of co-creating and performing the play contributed to this study. This included four public contributors: a community theatre producer, two actors with lived experience of domestic abuse who were members of the study PPI group and one community actor already working with the community theatre. A participatory workshop with PPI contributors was held to refine our research questions and data collection instruments, using a public involvement evaluation tool, The Cube. PPI contributors checked and commented on the draft manuscript.

Constituencies of Care: Imagining Possibilities of Access in US Theatre Pedagogy and Production

Abstract: Conversations about accessibility and representation in US theatre have increased over the past decade, but few articles address how these topics might be incorporated into our classrooms and educational rehearsal spaces. Using as a case study the rehearsal and production processes devised for the Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio , this Note considers how access initiatives implemented in the nonprofit and professional theatre spheres might be adapted and included in US theatre pedagogical practices for introducing students to comprehensive and holistic approaches to disability inclusion and accordant access initiatives.

Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production by Brídín Clements Cotton and Natalie Robin (review)

Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production by Brídín Clements Cotton and Natalie Robin (review)

VASYL STUS IN THE THEATER: FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ISSUE (1980s — 1990s)

The theatrical interpretation of the life and work of Vasyl Stus began in the late 1980s. Dozens of productions across various genres appeared during the period of accumulating and systematizing biographical and artistic material, as well as reinterpreting the figure of Stus. Interest in his personality is evidenced by the performances of both experienced directors and beginners. One of the key tasks of Stus studies is to trace the history of the theatrical experiences that bring Vasyl Stus’s creative life into focus. To model the perception and artistic interpretation of Stus’s personality, it is important to identify various forms of professional performances centered on Vasyl Stus’s life or based on his works, while considering the chronological order of their appearance. These forms include poetic compositions, dramatic compositions, plays, etc. The paper starts a project focusing on the outlined issues and highlights the theatrical productions from the late 1980s and the 1990s. Decades of theatrical exploration of Vasyl Stus’s creative personality represent not only a time of popularizing his works and integrating the poet’s name into the cultural sphere but also a period of directors’ and actors’ search for the potential — both poetic and existential — within Stus’s texts. The strength and significance of the poet’s legacy were proved by the following performances: the poetic composition “Vasyl Stus” (1988) by Volodymyr Kuchynskyi, the dramatic composition “The Bird of Soul” (1989) by Vitalii Sementsov, the musical and dramatic composition “Return” (1989) by Myroslav Hrynyshyn, the monologue “Go through a Hundred Scaffolds, a Man, Having Sight in a Heart” (1992) by Marharyta and Kyrylo Bulkins, the monologue “Damned Years” (1992—1993) by Volodymyr Smotrytel, the play on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of V. Stus’s birth (1998) by Dmytro Stus and Serhii Proskurnia.

Artistic Negotiation of Emma and Lucy Annual Drama The Musical Jekyll & Hyde: A Performance Quadrilogue View

The main focus is on the artistic aspects of the two female characters, Emma Carew and Lucy Harris in the production of “The Musical Jekyll & Hyde” by the Annual Drama team of Faculty of Language and Arts, Satya Wacana Christian University Salatiga, in 2023. The study focused on the process and artistic decision making within the context of management, musicology, dramaturgy, and literary studies. The study highlights how Emma and Lucy, are constructed in feminism artistic analysis in contemporary drama. The characters represented female with their domestic and private roles. Observation, interviews, documentation, and library studies were conducted to gather the data. Using performance centered approach, the study thoroughly observed the artistic decision process of the three actors of performance quadrilogue, namely the source, producer, and performer. As a college theater, all the artistic decision was made by the students. The four artistic elements of theater production, comprising the verbal text, song, movement, and scenary, portrayed the story’s setting in the 1800s in England. Emma’s verbal text depicted the English women of the elite with their domestic orientation. On the contrary, Lucy portrayed liberal English women. The four artistic elements in a theater production, referred to Broadway theater of the same title. This study positioned artistic elements as its study object instead of drama as a media of English learning. These two domains are discussed to sharpen on the construction of the female figure in the artistic perspective of feminist analysis. Post-production studies are also conducted to examine how students gain experience of an artistic decision-making process in producing a performance. It was conducted through the management’s delegating mechanism in the chart of the structured organization.

Redefining Theatricality: How the Fourth Wall Shapes Audience Interaction in Gaming Theater

This paper examines the role of the fourth wall in gaming theater and its impact on audience interaction. Traditionally, the fourth wall serves as an invisible boundary separating performers from spectators, dividing the fictional world from the audience. In gaming theater, this boundary is often broken, granting audiences a more active role in shaping the narrative and interacting with performers. Employing an analytical approach and case studies, this research investigates the effects of manipulating the fourth wall on the theatrical experience and audience participation. Two gaming theater productions are examined: In "Reflections of the Dream Realm," the fourth wall is completely dismantled, allowing audiences to participate through sensory engagement and voting. In "Harmony of Whispers," the fourth wall is partially maintained, yet audiences remain collaboratively involved in the storytelling process. Findings indicate that removing the separation between the stage and the audience can fundamentally alter the theatrical experience, transforming audiences from passive observers into active co-creators, particularly within the gaming theater genre, where interactive elements and innovative technologies like voting and augmented reality are employed.

Retelling: a New Genre or an Insufficiently Investigated “Old” Notion?

The article focuses on the phenomenon known as “retelling”. The mass reader, both domestic and foreign, perceives retelling as one of the neterature genres. The word “retelling” is borrowed from the English language. According to the English-language publications concerning retelling, in modern mass consciousness this concept corresponds, on the one hand, to the methods of borrowing and processing plots, known in European culture since antiquity, on the other, to a system of primary and secondary features, reproduced in mass literature texts. However, neither American nor British literary criticism knows such a genre. Foreign literary critics use the term “adaptation”, which implies one type of the text transformation: from a literary work to a theatrical production or film. Russian researchers apply the term “adaptation” to the alterations of classical literature for theatre, cinema, television and computer games. Although in the English language culture retelling is perceived as a new, recently emerged phenomenon, the first authorʼs adaptations of classical works appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. The collection of stories “Tales from Shakespeare”, written by Charles and Mary Lamb can be considered the first example of a “retelling” adaptation. The “Preface” to the stories contains the principles, formulated by the authors. According to the given principles they reworked Shakespeareʼs plays for childrenʼs reading. These principles fall under both the concept of “retelling” and the concept of “adaptation”. The research shows that though “retelling” is perceived as one of the characteristic features of modern culture, this phenomenon existed as a conscious way of creative working with text for at least two centuries. This phenomenon is not a genre, but a set of techniques for transforming a text, a still insufficiently studied universal of literary creativity.

A.N. Ostrovsky’s Dramaturgy in Slovakia

The article examines the history of the acquaintance of Slovak literary culture and theater with the dramatic heritage of the great Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky. It tells in detail about the first translations of his plays into Slovak and the first experiences of productions on the professional stage (all of them are associated with the name of director J. Borodach), about the difficulties of translating some of the titles of the plays, and also traces the evolution of the perception of Ostrovsky’s work in Slovakia over the past century. The periods of greatest popularity of his plays are highlighted (1950s, 1970–80s), and an overview of the most significant Slovak theatrical productions based on his works is given. Special attention is paid to several outstanding productions of the drama «The Forest», which appeared on the Slovak theater stages in different historical periods and largely influenced the perception of this Russian author by the Slovak audience: performances of the theater «Divadlo na Korze» (1971, directed by V. Strnisko), Theater SNP in Martin (1982, directed by L. Vaydichka), theater «Astorka Korzo ’90» (1997, directed by R. Polak), Slovak Chamber Theater in Martin (2014, directed by L. Brutovsky, M. Daho), Theater J. Palarika in Trnava (2020, directed by V. Strnisko).

The impact of spinal versus general anesthesia on the variability of surgical times: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

With spinal anesthesia, when cases are taking longer than usual, there may be behavioural tendencies for surgical teams to work more quickly. We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to examine standard deviations of surgical times for single-dose spinal anesthetics versus general anesthesia. We compared ratios of mean surgical times as a secondary endpoint. We included randomized trials of humans where general or spinal anesthesia was used for one category of surgical procedure (e.g., hip arthroplasty) and the article reported the means and standard deviations of operative durations. We used statistical methods suitable for surgical times following log-normal distributions. We used generalized confidence intervals to calculate point estimates of ratios and standard errors for each study, followed by pooling among studies using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects meta-analysis with Knapp-Hartung adjustment. Among the 77 included studies, 96% were of high quality for our endpoint (i.e., had a low risk of bias), as no (0%) study focused on comparing variability of surgical times and none had surgical time as the primary endpoint. Spinal anesthesia was associated with 6.6% smaller standard deviations than general anesthesia (95% confidence interval, 15.8% smaller to 1.9% larger, P = 0.13). By meta-regression, there was no significant association of the ratios of standard deviations with study quality (P = 0.39), year of publication (P = 0.76), or categories of procedures (all five P ≥ 0.28). Spinal anesthesia was associated with 1.1% smaller means than general anesthesia (95% confidence interval, 3.7% smaller to 1.5% larger, P = 0.42). There were no significant associations between the ratios of means and study quality (P = 0.47), year of publication (P = 0.95), or categories of procedures (all five, P ≥ 0.63). The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis show with high confidence that the effect of choosing spinal anesthesia on variability in surgical time, if present, is sufficiently small to have no substantive direct economic effect. The same conclusion applies to mean surgical time. Therefore, although anesthetic choice has a clinical (biological) impact and affects anesthesia times, the direct effects on surgical times and workflow are minimal at most. Anesthetic choice does not influence operating theatre productivity via changes to surgical times. The impact of spinal anesthetic effects is limited to nonoperative times (e.g., reducing anesthesia-controlled times by using a block room before the patient enters the operating room). PROSPERO ( CRD42023461952 ); first submitted 8 September 2023.

Le tragedie di Pierre Brumoy: fra teatro di scuola e ripresa della tragédie sainte

The most important text by the French Jesuit Pierre Brumoy, is undoubtedly the Théâtre des Grecs of 1730, which has had a profound influence on the reading of classical theatre texts in Europe. Less known is his theatrical production, to which the author chooses to dedicate himself in the final phase of his life and which, in part, wants to be an explanation of the theories illustrated in the Théâtre des Grecs. Brumoy publishes five plays (two tragedies: Isac and Jonathas, ou Le triomphe de l’Amitié; a pastoral: Le Couronnement du jeune David and two comedies: La boëte de Pandore, ou La curiosité punie and Plutus) in the fourth volume of a miscellany of texts entitled Recueil de divers ouvrages en prose et en vers, published in 1741. The focus of this work is on religious plays that can be used to explore an interesting and unstudied aspect of Brumoy’s figure.