Dramaturgy
ABSURDIST THEATRE
plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
The theatre of the absurd is not held to the same conventions of any style of theatre seen previously or has sense developed. Typical conventions such as a plot and characters are abandoned in favor of repeating situations and basic human attitudes. A distinct theme is traded for a sense of metaphysical anguish at the absurdity of the human condition. According to Martin Esslin's The Theatre of the Absurd, to have characters is to “ presuppose that human nature, the diversity of personality and individuality, is real and matters; plot can only exist on the assumption that events in time are significant” and the plot is made up not of events which have a clear beginning and ending but is the pursuit of objectives that continue to recede just as they are about to be attained. The audience is confronted with intense, emotional, projections of their most inner thoughts and feelings. This confrontation is thought to have a therapeutic or cathartic effect due to fully realizing attitudes which have previously remained at the subconscious level. The Other Shore, while not strictly an absurdist piece of theatre, was an attempt by Gao to examine actual events, returning to and seeking out new methods for theatre and theatricality in a way by which the absurd and real life could coexist.
"The only authentic experience that can be communicated is the experience of the single moment in the fullness of its emotional intensity, its existential totality." -Esslin
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AVANT-GARDE
the anti-tradition
Often referred to as experimental theatre or performance art, avante garde theatre is a diversion from traditional means of theatre-making. Altering the relationship between the audience and the performers by abandoning the harsh separation of a proscenium arch, adopting a minimalist aesthetic, and focusing on the body and movement as increasingly important as a means of communication are the primary deviations from traditional forms. This form of theatre is often used as a response to generational concerns and cultural issues, engaging the audience and even encouraging them to take direct action after the performance is concluded. In the case of Boal, spectators are brought onstage to participate in revising the performance they had just seen and acknowledge the legislative potential theatre holds. In a similar vein, the hierarchal structure of theatre is often abandoned in the production process of avante garde theatre, leaving only the performers and the work they'll devise in the rehearsal room without a play text, lighting instruments, sound design, etc. While the Western avant-garde was stuck in a claim to be anti-theatre, Gao approached this theory from the perspective of seeking out new methods by which theatricality could be explored.
POOR THEATRE
what is essential to theatre-making?
In an attempt to get rid of the lavishness and frills of traditional theatre, practitioners Jerzy Grotowski and Ryzard Cieslak developed performance with a focus on body work. It is typically within the practice of poor theatre to perform in unconventional spaces, with environmental or area configurations of the audience, avoiding the proscenium separation in a formal theatre setting. The relationships among actors and the relationship between the actor and the audience were of key importance in poor theatre. After everything else was stripped away, only the relationships a piece of theatre has the potential to develop were left. This elimination of illusion established a level playing field with the performers and the audience members, distinguishing poor theatre from that of the conventional. Eventually it was discovered that theatre can exist without costumes, a set, lights, a separated playing space, and even text to guide it.