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Theatricality and Contemporary Performance

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 South Valley University
International Conference on
Plastic Arts and Community Service - II
Faculty of Fine Arts in Luxor
16 – 18 February 2016

Research Tittle
Theatricality and Contemporary
Performance

Dr. Dalia Saleh Abdel Wahab Farah

Lecturer - Department of Decoration
Faculty of Fine Arts - South Valley University - Egypt
dalia.farah@f-arts.svu.edu.eg

2016

0
Abstract

The concept of theatricality became central to theatre and performance studies in recent
years. In order to define the term, it is required to distinguish theatre from several other art
forms, including multimedia, performance and dance. We need to identify the nature of theatre
against other practices.
The foundations of theater were significantly turned upside down during the 20th
century. Scholars reexamine theatrical aesthetic that were defined at the end of the 19th century
in the light of emerging new media. Also, Contemporary theatre practice assigned the text a
new place; it began to distance the text from the theatrical enterprise.
Within this context, the term Contemporary Performance relates to aesthetic history
starting in the 1880s with early Dada experiments and Alfred Jarry, and unfolds through into
the avant-garde movement in U.S.A. The term is currently used to describe hybrid performances
and artists that travel between the fields of Experimental Theatre, Video Art, multimedia and
Performance Art without adhering to one specific field’s practice.
Contemporary Performance keeps expanding into new forms and genres, thus it
requires an increasingly diverse vocabulary. As proclaimed by Artaud; the difficulty in
theorizing the physical language of the theatre, is caused by the limitations imposed by the
linguistic model.
This paper investigates, how are we to define Theatricality today? How does
Theatricality across genres affect spectators' perception? The notions of Contemporary
performance, and relationships between live performance and its mediation.

Key Words: Theatricality, Performance, Performativity, Mediated, Narrative.

Theatricality
The term “theatricality” has emerged as a leading concept in recent
performance studies, with an extensive and rapidly growing literature.
“Theatricality” resists summary and definition. In this part of the paper we shall
discuss notion and historical context of Theatricality.
Notion of Theatricality
Theatricality has achieved a wide range of meanings depending on one's
perspective; it could be everything from an act to an attitude, a style to semiotic
system, or even a medium to a message. It can be perceived as little more than a
self – referential gesture. Also it can be embraced as a definitive feature of human
communication.

1
 Within modernism, it is usually identified as the opposite of realism, though
realism is also considered as but one type of theatricality (1). The notion of
Theatricality relates to some of the most pressing issues of our age, including:
 The concept and nature of performance.
 The history of aesthetic styles.
 The means and methods of representation.
 The communicative power of art.
 The operations of public life (2).
Theatricality questions the relation between reality and fiction. It is a
critical notion that takes up the illusionary and the idealistic character of theatre
to establish its relation towards reality, to criticize or even replace it. Theatricality
occupies the space between theory and practice which both modes occupy (3).
Space is fundamental to theatricality, it is the passage from the literary to
the theatrical, and this shift is achieved through spatial realization of the text. It is
within space that the spectator perceives the spectacular nature of the stage (4). The
notion is closely related to performance and performativity, but inspires far more
ambivalence. There is unsettled tension between the two terms; “theatricality” and
“performance”, which results in methodological problems that need to be
addressed in theatre studies (5).
a. Historical Context
The history of theater and the history of the concept of theatricality are
related. The possible implications and connotations of the term relate with the
terminology, concepts and practices which have a long history in many cultures.
For example, sometimes theatricality has been identified with the Greek idea of
"mimesis"  and the Latin idea of “Theatrrum Mundy” (The theatre of the world).
The term itself was coined in 1837; but what is often called theatricality
nowadays was known by various other terms in the past, in other words several
approaches and methods struggled toward a term which remained elusive (6).

1-
Davis, Tracy C. & Postlewait, Thomas.(2003).Theatricality, U.K.:Cambridge University Press. P1.
2
- Ibid. P2.
3-
De Belder, Steven. (2002). Body check: Relocating the Body in Contemporary Performing Art. Amsterdam:
Rodopi Bv Editions. P 37.
4
- Féral, Josette & Bermingham, Ronald P. (2002). Theatricality: The Specificity of Theatrical Language.
SubStance, 31, (98/99), 94-108. P 96
5
- De Belder. Ibid. P 37.

Mimesis: An ancient Greek term which means “imitation” (though in the sense of “re-presentation” rather than
of “copying”). It is a critical and philosophical term that carries a wide range of meanings, which include imitation,
representation, mimicry, receptivity, non-sensuous similarity, the act of resembling, the act of expression, and the
presentation of the self. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica [http://www.britannica.com/art/mimesis]
6
- Davis, Tracy C. & Postlewait, Thomas. Ibid. P 2.
2
 The concept of theatricality was first developed at the beginning of the 20th
century in manifestos and publications of the avant-garde movements. Georg
Fuchs in The revolution of the theater (published 1909) was the first to promote a
re-theatricalization of theatre. His goal was to identify clear criteria in order to
distinguish theatre from other art forms. He also describes theatricality as the sum
total of elements/sign systems used in a theatrical performance beyond the
dramatic text. Thus theatrical performance is defined as such: movements, color,
voice, sounds, music, and light.
On the other hand, the Russian director Nikolai Evreinov used the term
teatral'nos (theatricality) for the first time in his article Apologija teatral'nost
(1908; Apologia of Theatricality) and took into account a broad concept of theatre.
He defines theatricality outside the framework and limits of theatre as an art form
or even theatre as a social institution. In order to construct an accurate and
inclusive definition, Evreinov examined various disciplines such as sociology,
ethnology, political /cultural history and psychology. His goal was to uncover the
workings and basic functions of theatricality in each of these fields. In this regard,
he might be remarked as a precursor to today's scholars of cultural studies (1).
However, it wasn't until the 1970s that discussion on theatricality was taken
up again. In her leading study, Theatricality (1972), Elisabeth Burns proceeds
from the supposition that the notion of theatre is historically and culturally
resolute. Therefore, she argues, theatricality cannot be defined as a specific mode
of behavior or expression, because it does not depend on "degrees of
demonstrativeness". Instead, Burns proposes, it is "determined by a particular
view point", and thus; she defines it as "a mode of perception" (2).
Burns showed a viable way of explaining theatricality as the common
denominator of theatre and culture, or as the focal point in which both intersect
and coincide, in her definition of it as a mode of perception.

1
- Gade, Rune & Jerslev, Anne. (2005). Performative Realism: Interdisciplinary Studies in Art and Media.
Copenhagen, Denmark: University of Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Press. P 213.
2
- Burns, Elizabeth. (1972). Theatricality: a study of convention in the theatre and in social life. London:
Longman. PP 2-13.
3
Contemporary Performance
The term Performance is usually adapted to describe the execution of an
artistic activity in front of an audience. It emerged out of Happenings and
Conceptual art and become a main form of avant-garde art during the late 1960s
and 1970s. Avant-garde theatre practices rejected dominant text-based theatre.
The aim was to be spontaneous, presentational rather than representational, and
to place the audience as participants rather than spectators (1).
a. Notion of Performance
Performance is new configuration of contemporary art which incorporates
visual art with dramatic performance; it is presented to an audience within a
fine art context, commonly interdisciplinary. Its medium is the artist himself: the
actual artwork being the artist's live actions. Performance art is frequently
theatrical, constantly taking acting and movement to boundaries of expression and
capacity not applicable in conventional theatre (2).
Performance art may be scripted or unscripted; improvised or carefully
orchestrated with or without audience participation. It can presented almost
anywhere: on stage, in public squares, in parks, in art galleries, in cafes and bars,
or on the street.
It is not easy to characterize this brand of postmodernist art accurately, but
one important aspect is the requirement for the artist to perform and express his
art before an audience. Subject to this condition, Performance artists can integrate
any discipline or medium into their Performance, including: Dance, Music,
Theatrical Design, Recitation, Juggling, Mime, Film, Fashion, Installation, Body
and Computer art, along with more conventional genres like painting, drawing
and sculpture (3).
b. Historical Context
Historically, Modern Performance art is related to the activities and
manifestos of the avant-garde movements including the Futurists (1909-14), the
Dadaists (1916-24), the Surrealist (1924-40), Body Art (1960 onwards) and
Feminist Art (1970 onwards). In the USA after World War Two, consequent
important advancement in performance art appeared. Its aspects and energy
developed out of several origins, including the artistic modes in the beat

1
- Shepherd, Simon – Wallis, Mick. (2004). Drama/Theatre/Performance. London: Routledge. P 83.
2
- Ljungberg, Christina. (2015). Handbook of Intermediality: Literature – Image – Sound – Music. Berlin :De
Gruyter Mouton. P 548.
3
- The Editors. (2016). Performance Art: Characteristics, History, Happenings. In Encyclopedia of Art.
Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/performance-art.htm
4
movement, jazz performance, experimental music of composer John Cage, non-
sequential modern dance of choreographer Merce Cunningham - Figure 1, action
painting of Jackson Pollack – Figure 2, and collage art of Robert Rauschenberg -
Figures 3.

a.
Figure 1: Dances: Antic Meet , 1964

b.
Dancers Merce Cunningham, Steve
Paxton Anneliese Widman,
Viola Farber, Sandra Neels
Director Arne Arnbom
Designer Robert Rauschenberg
Musician John Cage
Producer Sveriges Radio Televisionen
Length 40 minutes

c.
Antic Meet incorporated ten playful and funny numbers, performed like a series of
vaudeville acts that overlap. The curtains opened with Cunningham moving like a clown
among the other performers. He tries to keep up with them, each with their own sequence
of movements, as they dance diagonally across the stage (1).


Beat movement: also known as Beat Generation, an American social and literary movement that originated in
the 1950s; centered in the bohemian art communities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Its devotees
expressed their alienation from ordinary, or “square,” society. Beat movement is apolitical and detached to social
problems, they advocated personal release, purification, and illumination through the heightened sensory
awareness. Pleaders for the Beats, found the unhappiness and aimlessness of modern society sufficient
rationalization for both disengagement and protest.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica [http://www.britannica.com/art/Beat-movement]
1
- Merce Cunningham Trust. (2016). Retrieved 06 Feb. 2016 from http://www.mercecunningham.org/film-
media/media-detail/params/mediaID/62/
5
 Figure 2
Jackson Pollock Action Painting

Action Painting is a category of modern art

initiated by Jackson Pollock (1912-1956); a
leading American painter of Abstract
Expressionism art. Paint is usually dropped,
splashed or poured onto the canvas to
accomplish a spontaneous and abstract painting
(1)
.

Figure 3
Robert Rauschenberg Collage Art

Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), is one of the

most significant artists related to the Pop Art
movement, some well-known quotes from him
are; “It is impossible to have progress without
conscience” and “The artist’s job is to be a
witness to his time in history.” (2).

During the 1960s and 1970s, performance art was defined by

improvisation, spontaneity, spectators' participation, and political agitation. It also
became a favorite approach for feminist artists; whose aim was to expose sexism,

1
- The Editors. (21 Jul. 2015). “Jackson Pollock and Action Painting.” Boundless Art History. Boundless,
Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/europe-and-
america-from-1900-1950-ce-36/abstract-expressionism-230/jackson-pollock-and-action-painting-821-3536/
2
- Vallen, Mark. Robert Rauschenberg. (May 14, 2008). Retrieved from http://art-for-a-
change.com/blog/2008/05/robert-rauschenberg-1925-2008.html
6
racism, and corruption especially in the art world (1). These movements abandoned
the formalist practices of traditional art – according to which pride of place is
given to the final product: the painting, sculpture or other form of art - and instead
focused on the message or approach of the artwork.
During the last three decades of the 20th century, performance art has
usually set itself in opposition to modern text based theatre. Performance art tends
to be a theatre of the performer/creator rather than a theatre of the dramaturge.
Instead of a theatre of presence and illusion; performance art combines presence
and simulacra, image and disguise (2).

Characteristics of Contemporary performance

Performance art has taken a broad range of techniques. It could be
autobiographical, political, or formalist. It could be street theatre, guerrella
theatre, or even commercial theatre. Performance art can be familiar, alien, or
mysterious. It can be abusive, cheerful, or communal. Or, it can be none of the
above mentioned.
Sometimes the visual elements of performance prevail or replace the verbal
(notably the early shows of Robert Wilson); sometimes verbal and visual are
mixed into new peculiar configurations (as in the theatre of Richard Foreman, and
the Wooster Group). Among the many characteristics of performance, the main
foundations of all performances are:
 The manipulation of the performer's body - a principal and essential
element of any performing act.
 The manipulation of space, which the performer empties out and then
carves up and occupies in its slightest nooks and crannies; and
 The relation that performance establishes between the artist and the
audience, between the audience and the work of art, and between the
work of art and the artist (3).
Two significant innovations in the late 20th and early 21st century have
been the implication of new media technologies in performance and the
prominence of everyday performativity in addition to street or pop culture in a
theatrical setting. These two interlopers have considerably changed the way in

1
- Wainwright, Lisa S. (2016). Performance Art. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/art/performance-art
2
- Davis, Tracy C. & Postlewait, Thomas. Ibid. P 26.
3
- Féral, Josette & Lyons, Terese. (1982, Spring). Performance and Theatricality: The Subject Demystified.
Modern Drama, 25(1), 170-181. P 171.
7
which we produce and view performance (1). There are other hallmarks that can
be seen almost usually within a contemporary performance including the
following characteristics.
a. Theatrical Adaptations
Theatrical adaptation is genuine performance making device of the 20th
and 21st century. Earlier in 1975, Frank Kermode formulated a definition of the
classics as works that “possess intrinsic qualities that endure, but possess also an
openness to accommodation which keeps them alive under endlessly varying
dispositions”. The classic text is considered composite and indefinite enough to
allow us our necessary pluralities (2).
In the execution of adaptation, the literary “work” opens up to become
transparent “text,” showing itself available - and also vulnerable - to an
overabundance of readings. When re-imagining the source text, the director
reveals with the theater platform (mise-en-scène) meanings, subtle differences
and allusions that can only be discovered through incarnated exploration (3).
Unavoidably, the passage from page to stage, from literature to performance, is
full of disturbance. There is also some sort of completion and maturity of the text
that distinguishes the confrontation of writer and adapter/ director (4).
Because of postmodern freedom, it is difficult for directors to direct their
interpretation toward a particular clear point-of-view. Practitioners are instead
passionately searching for new imagery, found text and objects, extraordinary
sounds and any shot of roughly -authentic detail; in general, for any kind of
material that can provide that proper strike of inspiration that makes an adaptation
flourish (5). The Wooster Group’s director Liz LeCompte reckons that adaptation
is a way of “passing on a tradition by reinventing a play” (6).
In contemporary performance classic texts are infused with contemporary
texts. They are re-versioned and review. They are pull apart and reorganized to
develop new or substitute meanings (7). Theatrical adaptation is about the
amplification of form and previous notions and making them relevant to

1
- Gattenhof, Sandra (2006) Traces: Viewing and Responding to Contemporary Performance. In Proceedings
Drama Australia National Conference - Turning the Tides, Sydney. P 1.
2
- Calvino, Italo. (2000).Why Read the Classics? Trans. Martin McLaughlin. New York: Vintage. P 44 & 121.
3
- Vanden Heuvel, Michael. (1994). Performing Drama/ Dramatising Performance. Alternative Theatre and the
Dramatic Text.Ann Arbor: U of Michigan Press. P 63.
4
- Cobb, Shelley. “(2012). Film Authorship and Adaptation.” A Companion to Literature, Film and Adaptation.
Ed. Deborah Cartmell. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. P 108.
5
- poulou, Avra. (June/Juin 2015). Mise En Scene As Adaptation Critical Stages/Scènes Critiques (12),
Retrieved from http://www.critical-stages.org/12/mise-en-scene-as-adaptation/
6
- Kramer, Jane. (8 Oct. 2007). Experimental Journey. The New Yorker: 48–57. P 54.
7
- Gattenhof, Sandra. Ibid. P1.
8
contemporary spectators. For instance, Director Robert Wilson developed
remarkable innovative theatre performances in which he re-vision classical text,
including: Hamlet, Faust, Macbeth and Odyssey.
 Robert Wilson
American director Robert Wilson is one of the leading practitioners of
avant-garde theater. He is known for his dispraise of “the text,” for his desire to
break free from the constraint of the written word and force his audience to engage
with performance on a different level. In Absolute Wilson, a film about Wilson’s
autobiography, Wilson says, “Language is the barrier of the imagination”.
Robert Wilson’s early productions provided strong stage images without
words. Later on, he integrated the deconstruction of language and eventually
classics and existing works, which used language in a meaning way. Wilson never
allows language to dominate. In his work sound is important and creates rhythm.
This rhythm is achieved with music or words; it may also be expressed through
movements done in silence. Words can also operate as sound and music rather
than traditionally being a source for information and meaning (1). In Wilson's
productions, text does not need help, it can stand for itself, for it is just a thing (2).
 Hamlet: A Monologue –1995
In his version of Hamlet, Robert Wilson adapted the text to function as a
monologue. The text was rearranged in a new order, but kept hold of the basics of
Hamlet’s story. The whole play was seen through the perspective of one character,
Hamlet, and all other characters were just present as memories and through the
filter of Hamlet’s own state of mind.
Wilson turned this classic play into a fresh and new work that was more of
a commentary on the original text, rather than just another interpretation of it. He
pulled Shakespeare’s text into his aesthetic by reformatting the text and using
powerful imagery in staging it (3).
The technique of the monologue is that the play begins at the end. It is a
flashback beginning right before Hamlet’s death. Wilson uses Shakespeare’s play
as raw material; he assembles a conversation with the play. Other characters are
present, but spoken through Hamlet, Figure-4. In Wilson productions the text will
be reconstructed by the audience (4).

1
- Bennett, Rachel Elinor. (2009). "Why Theatre? A Study of Robert Wilson". Butler University. P 21.
2
- Ebrahimian, Babak A. (2004).The Cinematic Theatre. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. P 20.
3
- Bennett, Rachel Elinor. Ibid. PP 38-39.
4
- Ebrahimian, Babak A. Ibid. PP 17-18.
9
 a. b.

Figure 4: Hamlet, a monologue

Based on the play by William

Shakespeare
Adaptation by Robert Wilson and
Wolfgang Wiens
Music by Hans Peter Kuhn
Performed by Robert Wilson
The Alley Theater, Texas, 1995 (1)
c.

In re-visioning Hamlet as a monologue, the actor speaks the text as a

flashback: "It started just before he dies, and ended with his last speech" says
Wilson, "This one second before he dies, one sees the whole play, the whole life".
As a play, Hamlet can be treated in different ways. "It’s become a prism,
and in this prism are many reflections" Wilson adds;" It can be done any way,
and this Shakespeare text - an indestructible rock - is not destroyed" (2).
b. Fragmentation
This is achieved through dissolution between the art forms, between high
culture and popular culture. Lavender's prediction that multimedia performance
exemplifies a "a genuinely avant-garde development, set to influence mainstream
theatre in years to come", was proved true by pioneering productions such as
Robert Lepage's the far side of the moon (2000) and Complicite's The Elephant
Vanishes (2003) (3).

1
- HAMLET: a monologue. Retrieved from: http://www.robertwilson.com/hamlet-a-monologue/
2
- Wilson, Robert. In documentary film "Absolute Wilson: The Biography". (2006). Directed by Katharina Otto-
Bernstein. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUeNFFtloo
3
- Syssoyeva, Kathryn Mederos. (2013). Collective Creation in Contemporary Performance. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan. P 55.
10
  Robert Lepage

Canadian director, playwright, actor and film director Robert Lepage, is

famous for his creative and authentic approach to theatre performance which won
him international praise and shaken the doctrine of classical stage direction to its
foundations, especially through his use of modern technologies. In 1994, he
founded Ex Machina, then wrote and directed several productions including The
Far Side of the Moon.
 The Far Side of the Moon -2000

Scientifically the moon has lost most of its mystery, but“it has lost none of
its poetic force” says Lepage. So begins the epic story of Philippe, a man
overcoming the recent death of his mother, the estrangement of his only younger
brother André; and the peculiar teachings the universe holds for those courageous
enough to look up to the stars and speculate. Time and place are peripheral to
Philippe’s search for meaning in the universe and his place in it.
The performance concentrates on the conflict between the two brothers. It
is also concerned with Leonov, the Russian cosmonaut, confronted with the
massiveness of interplanetary space as he took his first steps out of the Soyouz
spacecraft. It generates a mad but sincere project for a space elevator that would
allow mankind to confront the Void (1).
The exploration of the moon; “mirror of the Earth” as is said in the
Prologue, is the metaphor Lepage uses to express another search, that of the inner,
intimate and private space. It’s the story of two brothers, a meteorologist and a
doctoral student, alienated by their very different life style and tendency, they
meet again for their mother’s death (2).
We came to the world as new born children, little astronauts who breathe
for the first time after the umbilical cord is cut off by the midwife, thanks to which
the child breathes in his first oxygen blow, setting in the breathing process. The
moon and the mother, with their particular mythical and symbolic apparatus, are
the performance's two central theme which endlessly interlace.
The circular shape of the astronauts’ helmet and that more familiar, of a
washing machine’s door window blend in a bizarre exchange being converted at
the same time into the maternal uterus. Daily life and History, personal memories

1
- Lepage, Robert. (2003).The Far Side of the Moon. Retrieved from
http://www.epidemic.net/en/art/lepage/proj/
2
- Monteverdi, Anna Maria. (2011). Robert Lepage: metamorphosis of The Techno Theatre. Retrieved from
http://media.digitalarti.com/blog/annamonteverdi/robert_lepage_metamorphosis_of_the_techno_theatre
11
and collective recollections, both shaped by “an index” of image archives, are
mixed the one with the other until they merge. The show takes the audience to
other worlds on the firm wings of Lepage’s theatrical magic (1).
 Autobiographical Approach
The autobiographical theme, seems to be repeatedly present in Lepage’s
solo shows (Vinci, Les aguilles et l’opium, Elsinore, Andersen Project and The
Far Side of the Moon). The chosen approach to create the right distance with the
particular subject (moral questions, the loss of a friend or a mother, a love crisis)
and, at the same time keep this background of authenticity and transform a
confession into fragments of collective memory and experience, is the creation of
a couple of character bound to each other in different ways.
The central figure autobiographical, is linked to a character who is more or
less an alter ego (also present as an electronic double), a living mirror which
sometimes takes the role of a famous historical figure.
The unfolding of the spectacles always shows, not the contrast among the
various personality but the simultaneity of an inner individual struggle and an
identity with manifold and complex facets. The fragmented identity allows
Lepage to balance person and character, the result is a complicated negotiation of
self and other in which neither takes primacy (2).
c. Integration of live and mediated performance
This comes with various levels of sophistication, through using multimedia
and new technologies. Prosperous integration of mediated texts comes when the
performance utilizes it more than a backdrop, rather it becomes a metaphor (3).
The diverse media employed - still images, movie cameras, video screens,
and television - which are present like so many microscopes to magnify the
infinitely small and bring the audience's attention on the limited physical spaces
promptly carved out by the performer's aspiration and transformed into imaginary
spaces, modeling a zone where his own emotional flows and illusions pass
through - Figures 5 & 6.
The physical space of the performance can be parts of the performer's own
body magnified through photo lenses to infinity (his/her hand, bits of skin, an eye,
etc.), but they can also be certain limited, natural spaces (4).

1
- Ibid.
2
- Dundjerovic, Aleksandar. (2007) .The Theatricality of Robert Lepage. Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's
Press. P 53.
3
- Gattenhof, Sandra. Ibid. P2.
4
- Féral, Josette & Lyons, Terese. Ibid. P 171.
12
 a.

b. c.

Figure 5: The Far Side of the Moon

Written & directed by Robert Lepage

Performed by Yves Jacques
music composed by Laurie Anderson
Puppet designer Pierre Robitaille, Sylvie Courbron
Puppeteer Éric Leblanc
Quebec, Canada March 2000 (1)

1
- Robert Lepage / Ex Machina. Retrieved from: http://www.epidemic.net/en/news/lepage.html
13
 d. Non-linear and Post-linear Narrative
Contemporary theatre performance witnessed the rise of the non-
Aristotelian narrative form. Play writing is no longer limited to a 3-act form.
(Beginning - middle - end) as other narrative forms rise, such as:
 Surrealist structure: image or incident not open to logical explanation or
explication.
 Fractured structure: comprises beginning, middle and end, but not
necessary in that same order.
 Shifting structure: involves use of flashback, playing with notions of
time and space.
These categories of narrative structure support the postmodernist idea that
there may not be one world where time unfolds only in a linear fashion, but instead
an endless number of universes existing in parallel – non-linear/multiple
narratives (1). What such performances do is enlighten; they create an increased
sense of attention which is fundamentally different from the way that we deal with
the world at large. That kind of perception is the way that we personalize the work
so that the audience can give any number of explanation of what they experienced.
It is the way the spectator comprehends the work that gives it the content (2).
To understand this genre of performance, there is an inclination to think
geometrically. Lines, triangles, matrixes, or particle clusters are triggered to assist
in generating the meaning by live performance (3).
e. Incorporation of visual or non-text based elements
This category includes displays on screen and physical theatre - movement
based performance - that reinforces, expands, emphasizes, and dissolves the
narrative. His theatre work is always entrenched in the fine and visual arts.
Wilson’s directing technique comes out of his experience as a painter, sculpture
and architect.
Wilson destroyed the traditional boundaries that separated theatre
production, opera, film, and the plastic arts (4). He combines techniques from
several disciplines including dance-movement, theatre, video, installation, music,
painting, and sculpture, thus representing a layered composition of different
artwork elements (5).

1
- Gattenhof, Sandra. Ibid. P 4.
2
- Glass, Philip. (2011). Robert Wilson from Within. Italy: Graphicom. P 109.
3
- Scheer, Edward & Klich, Rosemary. (2011). Multimedia Performance. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. P 259.
4
- Delgado, Maria M. and Paul Heritage ed. (1996).In Contact with the Gods?: Directors talk theatre. New York:
Manchester University Press. P 300.
5
- Ebrahimian, Babak A. Ibid. P 18.
14
  Einstein on the Beach -2012
Einstein on the Beach; is an opera in four acts produced by Robert Wilson
and composer Philip Glass. When first performed in 1976; it was revolutionary
and is now thought-out as one of the most exceptional performance works of our
time. The Washington Post has described Einstein on the Beach as one of the
seminal artistic creations of the 20th century. The performance is a non-narrative,
artificial opera in which the task of narrative has shifted totally from telling a story
to experiencing it (1).
Einstein on the Beach abandons all the rules of traditional opera. It takes
over four-and-a-half hours, during which there are no traditional intermissions.
Instead the spectators can come and go as they wish. It is non-narrative in form,
structured in four interconnected acts. The work uses a series of robust frequent
images as its main storytelling method shown adjacent to abstract dance
sequences developed by American choreographer Lucinda Childs - figure 7. In a
sense, Wilson urges the collaboration of the spectator’s imaginations as means to
bring the story to life in their minds’ eyes.
On Wilson’s stage there is equilibrium between vertical, horizontal and
diagonal lines, as he sees the stage as a plane picture space or a sculptural volume
to be carved. This comes from his training as an architect. Wilson’s spaces are not
dependent on character nor written text, they are landscape of images. Wilson
creates stage image through human figures that are pointedly defined by posture,
costume, and light, moving bodies in a distinct manner to a given rhythm (2).
Lighting is a tool employed beyond illuminating the stage in Wilson’s
theatre; it contributes to the overall meaning of the work and adds more layers to
the visual text. This alternate way of generating theatre changes the dynamic of
the observing experience and how the audience perceives the world (3).
This category of performances correlates to the concept of de-
territorialization; which is about de- isolating art forms and cultural applications.
Rowe and Schelling defined de-territorialization, as “the release of cultural signs
from fixed locations in space and time" (4). It can be characterized by: expanding
speed and volume; contracting space; and penetrable borders.

1
- Glass, Philip. Ibid. PP 99-108.
2
- Ebrahimian, Babak A. Ibid. P 16.
3
- Bennett, Rachel Elinor. Ibid. PP 20 -24.

The term de-territorialization was coined by Garcia Canclini - a globalisation theorist- to describe the
international money market wherein currency moved fluidly across borders. It quickly became used by others..
4
- Rowe, William & Schelling, Vivian. (1991). Memory and Modernity: Popular Culture in Latin America:
Critical Studies in Latin American Culture. New York: Verso. P 213.
15
 a.

b. c.
Figure 6: Einstein on the Beach
Einstein on the Beach is a dreamy, abstract portrayal of the ideas and theories of Albert
Einstein about relativity and time. The opera takes the audience through the production
without story, providing a mystical experience portrayed through Glass' hypnotically
repetitive music and Wilson's mythically expressive staging and exalted lighting (1).

1
- Einstein on the Beach. Retrieved from: http://www.robertwilson.com/einstein-on-the-beach/
16
Conclusions

 The awkwardness in theorizing the physical language of theatre, as stated by

Artaud, is caused by the limitations forced by the linguistic model. There for,
naming the style and the hallmarks of contemporary performance is
controversial. This frame is basically anchored in the idea of de-
territorialization, Performativity, and Openness of form.
 Performativity is correlated with the situational dimension of the audience’s
reception of performance, and the reality that this reception is here and now.
Richard Schechner proclaimed that: “Performativity is everywhere” (1), that
includes daily behavior, people’s interaction in professions, on the internet
and different types of media, in communication and languages.
 Performance art is usually technologically oriented, and practitioners of
theatre are rapidly integrating "new media" into their creative projects.
 The process of encoding of all digital media provides convergence between
visual, verbal, sonic and gestural encoding and decoding. One benefit of this
aspect is the capability to manipulate data in real time. This greatly extends
the possibilities of contemporary performance practices.
 Openness of form is a result of overlap within the category; especially when
relating to concepts of intertextuality and joint authorship. This notion
problematizes the idea of specifying where text “begins” and where it “ends”
 The transfer from the single playwright as an ultimate authority - as in
conventional and realistic theatre styles - to the notion of the collaborative
authorship, is seen in contemporary performance. Instead of a playwright
writing a play in isolation and other artists presenting it; the new theatre
endorses a one-process method, in which the group develops the work from
inceptive conception to final production.

1
- Schechner, R. (2002). Performance Studies: An Introduction. London: Routledge. P 110.
17
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