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SPEAKING ABOUT VIOLENCE Alvis Hermanis I fâpublicâexecutionsâwereâpracticedâtoday,âweâcanâbeâquiteâsureâthatâtheyâwouldâ haveâmoreâaudienceâthenâtheatres.âGladiatorâcontestsâtwo-thousandâyearsâago,âtheâ medievalâburningâofâwitches,âguillotiningâduringâtheâFrenchâRevolution,âhangingâ ofâNazisâonâmainâsquaresâofâEuropeanâcitiesâquiteârecentlyâallâofâtheseâwereâtheatreâ performancesâinâaâway.âTheirâabsoluteâdramaturgyâalwaysâattractedâcrowds. Hollywoodâproducersâstillâbelieveâthatâthereâisâaâmurdererâandâmaniacâhidingâinsideâ everyâordinaryâcitizen.âAndâallâmiddle-classâcitizens,âfromâteenagersâtoâhousewives,â loveâ toâ identifyâ withâ theâ criminals,â or,â atâ least,â withâ theâ peopleâ whoâ areâ carryingâ guns.âOneâmightâassumeâthatâmodernâsociety,âobsessedâwithâsecurityâandâshapingâ itselfâaccordingâtoâaâmodelâthatâincreasinglyâresemblesâaâtotalitarianâkindergarten,â deepâ downâ inâ itsâ heart,â cravesâ forâ terror,â destructionâ andâ blood.â Thisâ mayâ trulyâ seemâtoâbeâtheâcaseâifâoneâlooksâaroundâatâwhatâisâhappeningâonâtheâstagesâofâworldâ theatresâtoday.âButâisâitâreallyâtrue? Inâtheâfirstâthirdâofâtheâtwentiethâcentury,âAntoninâArtaudâpromotedâaânewâtheatricalâ paradigm,â accordingâ toâ whichâ theâ humanâ subconsciousâ isâ toâ beâ revealedâ onstage,â andâtheâtheatreâsâtaskâisâtoâexploreâtheâterritoriesâthatâareâconcealedâandâinvisible.â Perhapsâthisâseemedâinspiringâsixtyâyearsâago,âyet,âtoday,âinâmyâopinion,âthisâisânoâ longerâ interesting.â Forâ theseâ territoriesâ didâ notâ hideâ anythingâ ofâ particularâ depthâ andâcomplexity.âThereâisâplentyâofâevidenceâavailableâtoâproveâtheâfactâthatâhumanâ beingsâoriginateâfromâmonkeys,âandâsearchingâforâsomeâmoreâwouldâbeâaâwasteâofâ time.âToday,âaâmuchâmoreâexcitingâchallengeâisâtryingâtoâproveâtheâoppositeâwhatâ makesâpeopleâdifferentâfromâanimals.âInâmyâopinion,âArtaudâsâideaâofâtheâtheatreâ hasâbeenâfullyâexhaustedâbyânowâandâisâsimplyâboring.âMushrooms donât grow there anymore. They all have been picked up.âItâseemsâtoâme,âSarahâKaneâsâexampleâisâtheâ lastâstopâorâtheâfinalâdestinationâforâthisâmovementâinâtheatre. Andâyet,âwhyâareâtheatremakersâstillâconvincedâthatâtheâbestâwayâtoâcommunicateâ withâtheâaudienceâisâbyâusingâaggressionâandâviolence?âWhyâtoday,âwhenâtheâprofessionâ ofâ aâ theatricalâ makeupâ artistâ hasâ almostâ disappeared,â doesâ theâ amountâ ofâ artificialâbloodâusedâonâworldâstagesâkeepâincreasing?âWhyâdoâtheatreâprofessionals,â whoâtryâtoâavoidâaggressionâwhenâcommunicatingâwithâtheirâfamilyâmembersâandâ â îªâ PAJâ90â(200),âpp.ââ10.â ©â200âAlvisâHermanis friends,âbelieveâthatâthisâisâtheâbestâwayâtoâformâaâdialogueâwithâtheâaudienceâtotalâ strangers,âwho,âmoreover,âhaveâpaidâtheirâmoneyâtoâmakeâthisâdialogueâpossibleâinâ theâfirstâplace? Iâamâfocusingâonâprofessionalsâsince,âinâmyâexperience,âthereâisâfarâlessâaggressionâ toâbeâfacedâinâtheâamateurâtheatre.âIsâtheâanswerâreallyâasâsimpleâasâthatâmoneyâ andâtheâmarket?âToâbeâasâeccentricâasâpossible,âtoâmakeânoise? Beingâ aâ professionalâ director,â Iâ canâ assureâ youâ thatâ theâ techniqueâ ofâ buildingâ aâ mise-en-scène byâescalatingâitsâaggressiveâpotentialâisâextremelyâsimple.âItâis,âindeed,â aâprimitiveâmethodâandâdoesânotâaskâforâaâveryâspecialâgiftâorâknowledge.âToâbuildâ aâmise-en-scèneâbyâevokingâinstinctsâisâjustâasâcomplexâaâtaskâasâforâaâcookâtoâboilâ anâeggâandâtoâfryâpotatoes. InâtheâNewâRigaâTheatre,âweâhaveâtheâfollowingâquotationâbyâPeterâBrookâpaintedâ aboveâtheâdoorâthroughâwhichâtheâactorsâwalkâonâstage:ââTheâqualityâofâenergyâgeneratedâinâtheâaudienceâwillâalwaysâbeâidenticalâtoâtheâqualityâofâenergyâcomingâfromâ theâstage.ââSimpleâphysics.âLowâenergiesâwillâalwaysâcommunicateâonlyâonâtheâsameâ level.âItâisâimpossibleâtoâhopeâforâaâspiritualâdialogueâifâyouâareâusingâaggressionâasâ theâmeansâofâcommunication. Ofâcourse,âweâknowâthatâsinceâtheâancientâhistoryâofâworldâdrama,âtheâcharactersâ ofâplaysâareâusedâtoâsolvingâconflictâsituationsâbyâkillingâeachâother,âstabbingâeachâ other,â pokingâ outâ eachâ otherâsâ eyesâ orâ cuttingâ piecesâ ofâ fleshâ outâ ofâ eachâ otherâsâ bodies.â This,â however,â isâ notâ howâ peopleâ wouldâ normallyâ behave.â Letâ usâ faceâ theâ truth:â itâ isâ obviousâ thatâ almostâ allâ theâ playsâ inâ theâ historyâ ofâ theatreâ haveâ beenâ writtenâ aboutâ mentallyâ disorderedâ individuals.â Likewise,â weâ knowâ forâ aâ factâ thatâ
PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art – MIT Press
Published: Sep 1, 2008
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