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Theatre and Performance Studies

Works Count: 87031

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Description

This cluster of papers encompasses a wide range of topics related to theatrical performance, including theatre, performance art, drama education, audience experience, performativity, immersive theatre, globalization, and social transformation. It explores the interdisciplinary study of theatrical performance and theory in various cultural and historical contexts.

Keywords

Theatre; Performance Art; Drama Education; Cultural Practice; Audience Experience; Applied Theatre; Performativity; Immersive Theatre; Globalization; Social Transformation

The haunted stage: the theatre as memory machine

2002-09-01

Marvin Carlson

Throughout theatrical history, almost every element in stage production has been recycled. Indeed any regular theatergoer is familiar with the experience of a performance that conjures the ghosts of previous … Throughout theatrical history, almost every element in stage production has been recycled. Indeed any regular theatergoer is familiar with the experience of a performance that conjures the ghosts of previous productions. The Haunted Stage explores this theatrical deja vu, and examines how it stimulates the spectator's memory. Relating the dynamics of reception to the interaction between theater and memory, The Haunted Stage uncovers the ways in which the memory of the spectator informs the process of theatrical reception.Marvin Carlson is Sidney E. Cohn Distinguished Professor of Theatre and Comparative Literature at the City University of New York.

The anthropology of experience

1986-01-01

Edward M. Bruner , Victor Turner

Fourteen authors, including many of the best-known scholars in the field, explore how people actually experience their culture and how those experiences are expressed in forms as varied as narrative, … Fourteen authors, including many of the best-known scholars in the field, explore how people actually experience their culture and how those experiences are expressed in forms as varied as narrative, literary work, theater, carnival, ritual, reminiscence, and life review. Their studies will be of special interest for anyone working in anthropological theory, symbolic anthropology, and contemporary social and cultural anthropology, and useful as well for other social scientists, folklorists, literary theorists, and philosophers.

Performance: A Critical Introduction

2017-10-25

Marvin A. Carlson

This comprehensively revised, illustrated edition discusses recent performance work and takes into consideration changes that have taken place since the book's original publication in 1996. Marvin Carlson guides the reader … This comprehensively revised, illustrated edition discusses recent performance work and takes into consideration changes that have taken place since the book's original publication in 1996. Marvin Carlson guides the reader through the contested definition of performance as a theatrical activity and the myriad ways in which performance has been interpreted by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, and cultural theorists. Topics covered include: *the evolution of performance art since the 1960s *the relationship between performance, postmodernism, the politics of identity, and current cultural studies *the recent theoretical developments in the study of performance in the fields of anthropology, psychoanalysis, linguistics, and technology. With a fully updated bibliography and additional glossary of terms, students of performance studies, visual and performing arts or theatre history will welcome this new version of a classic text.

Towards a Poor Theatre

2012-11-12

Jerzy Grotowski

One of the century's most impressive theatrical manifestos - Irving Wardle Jerzy created the Theatre Laboratory in Opole, South-West Poland, in 1959. His work since then, with a small permanent … One of the century's most impressive theatrical manifestos - Irving Wardle Jerzy created the Theatre Laboratory in Opole, South-West Poland, in 1959. His work since then, with a small permanent company, became one of the most potent sources of information for modern actors and directors. This is a record of the ideas that motivated the work of the Theatre Laboratory, and of the company's methods and discoveries.In his Preface Peter Brook writes: Grotowski is unique. Why? Because no one else in the world, to my knowledge no one since Stanislavski, has investigated the nature of acting, its phenomenon, its meaning, the nature and science of its mental-physical-emotional processes as deeply and completely as Grotowski.Grotowski's Theatre Laboratory Company was first seen in Britain at the Edinburgh Festival in 1968 and went on to international fame.

In the theater of consciousness: the workspace of the mind

1997-09-01

Bernard J. Baars

Preface Prologue: The Metaphor 1. Treating Consciousness as a Variable 2. The Theater Stage Has Unlimited Capacity But Creates Vast Access 3. On Stage: Sensations, Images, and Ideas 4. The … Preface Prologue: The Metaphor 1. Treating Consciousness as a Variable 2. The Theater Stage Has Unlimited Capacity But Creates Vast Access 3. On Stage: Sensations, Images, and Ideas 4. The Spotlight: Attention, Absorption, and the Construction of Reality 5. Behind the Scenes: Contexts, Intentions, and Expectations 6. Volition: Conscious Control of Action 7. The Direction: Self as the Unifying Context of Consciousness 8. What Is It Good For? The Functions of Consciousness 9. Epilogue: A Tiny Bit of Philosophy Appendix: Make Your Own Theory - The Basic Evidence

Troubling vision: Performance, visuality and blackness

2012-02-07

Rose M. Kim

Social Dramas and Stories about Them

1980-10-01

Victor Turner

Performing as a moral act:1Ethical dimensions of the ethnography of performance

1985-04-01

Dwight Conquergood

(1985). Performing as a moral act: Ethical dimensions of the ethnography of performance. Literature in Performance: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 1-13. (1985). Performing as a moral act: Ethical dimensions of the ethnography of performance. Literature in Performance: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 1-13.

Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre

1984-10-01

Albert Pertalion , Keith Johnstone

Keith Johnstone's involvement with the theatre began when George Devine and Tony Richardson, artistic directors of the Royal Court Theatre, commissioned a play from him. This was the year of … Keith Johnstone's involvement with the theatre began when George Devine and Tony Richardson, artistic directors of the Royal Court Theatre, commissioned a play from him. This was the year of Look Back in Anger in 1956. A few years later he was himself Associate Artistic Director, in particular helping to run the writers' group. The techniques and exercises evolved there to foster spontaneity and narrative skills were developed further in the actors' studio, then in demonstrations to schools and colleges and ultimately in the founding of a company of performers called The Theatre Machine. Divided into four sections, Status, Spontaneity, Narrative Skills and Masks and Trance, arranged more or less in the order a group might approach them, the book sets out the specific techniques and exercises which Johnstone has himself found most useful and most stimulating. The result is a fascinating exploration of the nature of spontaneous creativity. If teachers were honoured in the British theatre along-side directors, designers and playwrights, Keith Johnstone would be as familiar a name as are those of Jocelyn Herbert, Edward Bond and other young talents who were drawn to the great lodestone of the Royal Court Theatre in the late 1950s. As head of the script department, Johnstone played a crucial part in the development of the 'writers' theatre ' (Irving Wardle)

Performance Studies: An Introduction

2003-01-01

Philip C. Kolin , Richard Schechner

This important new introductory textbook by a prime mover in the emergent field of Performance Studies is a defining moment for the discipline. It provides a lively and accessible overview … This important new introductory textbook by a prime mover in the emergent field of Performance Studies is a defining moment for the discipline. It provides a lively and accessible overview of the full range of performance for undergraduates at all levels and beginning graduate students in performance studies, theatre, performing arts and cultural studies. It includes discussion of the performing arts and popular entertainments, rituals, play and games as well as the performances of every day life. Supporting examples and ideas are drawn from the performing arts, anthropology, post-structuralism, ritual theory, ethology, philosophy and aesthetics. The text has been fully developed with input from leading teachers and trialled with students. User-friendly, with a special text design, it also includes the following features: Extracts from primary sources giving alternative voices and viewpoints Biographies of key thinkers 'Things to think about' and 'things to do' to stimulate fieldwork, classroom exercises and discussion Key reading lists for each chapter 20 line drawings and 173 b+w photographs drawn from private and public collections around the world.

The Player's Passion: Studies in the Science of Acting

1986-10-01

Stephen M. Archer , Joseph Roach

This reinterpretation of acting theories in light of the history of science examines acting styles from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century and measures them against prevailing conceptions of … This reinterpretation of acting theories in light of the history of science examines acting styles from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century and measures them against prevailing conceptions of the human body and its inner workings.

Composing Ethnography: Alternative Forms of Qualitative Writing.

1999-03-01

Kent Sandstrom , Carolyn Ellis , Arthur P. Bochner

chapter 1 About the Authors chapter 2 Preface and Acknowledgments chapter 3 Arthur P. Bochner and Carolyn Ellis, Introduction: Talking Over Ethnography chapter 4 Part 1: Autoethnography chapter 5 1. … chapter 1 About the Authors chapter 2 Preface and Acknowledgments chapter 3 Arthur P. Bochner and Carolyn Ellis, Introduction: Talking Over Ethnography chapter 4 Part 1: Autoethnography chapter 5 1. David Payne, Autobiology chapter 6 2. Lisa Tillmann-Healy, A Secret Life in a Culture of Thinness: Reflections on Body, Food and Bulimia chapter 7 3. Carol Rambo Ronai, My Mother is Mentally Retarded chapter 8 4. Aliza Kolker, Thrown Overboard: The Human Costs of Health Care Rationing chapter 9 (R. Ruth Linden, The Life Boat is Fraught: Reflection on Thrown Overboard) chapter 10 5. Mark Neumann, Collecting Ourselves at the End of the Century chapter 11 Part 2: Sociopoetics chapter 12 6. Judith Hamera, Reconstructing Apsaras from Memory: Six Thoughts chapter 13 7. Deborah Austin, Kaleidoscope: The Same and Different chapter 14 8. Laurel Richardson, Speech Lessons chapter 15 9. Carolyn Ellis, Maternal Connections chapter 16 10. Jim Mienczakowski, An Ethnographics Act: The Construction of Consensual Theatre chapter 17 Part 3: Reflexive Ethnography chapter 18 11. Marc Edelman, Devil, Not-Quite-White, Rootless Cosmopolitan: Tsuris in Latin America, the Bronx, and the USSR chapter 19 12. Tanice G. Foltz and Wendy Griffin, She Changes Everything She Touches: Ethnographic Journeys of Self-Discovery chapter 20 13. Karen Fox, Silent Voices: A Subversive Reading of Child Sexual Abuse chapter 21 14. Richard Quinney, Once My Father Traveled West to California chapter 22 Open-Ending, Readers Talk Back chapter 23 Name Index chapter 24 Subject Index

Games for Actors and Non-Actors

2005-06-29

Augusto Boal

Games for Actors and Non-Actors is the classic and best selling book by the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal. It sets out the principles and practice of … Games for Actors and Non-Actors is the classic and best selling book by the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal. It sets out the principles and practice of Boal's revolutionary Method, showing how theatre can be used to transform and liberate everyone – actors and non-actors alike! This thoroughly updated and substantially revised second edition includes: two new essays by Boal on major recent projects in Brazil Boal's description of his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company a revised introduction and translator's preface a collection of photographs taken during Boal's workshops, commissioned for this edition new reflections on Forum Theatre.

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Dramaturgy and Social Movements: The Social Construction and Communication of Power*

1992-01-01

Robert D. Benford , Scott A. Hunt

This paper seeks to illuminate how social movements collectively construct and communicate power. Drawing on insights from dramaturgy as well as from field research of several movements, the article demonstrates … This paper seeks to illuminate how social movements collectively construct and communicate power. Drawing on insights from dramaturgy as well as from field research of several movements, the article demonstrates how social movements are dramas routinely concerned with challenging or sustaining interpretations of power relations. Four dramatic techniques associated with such communicative processes are identified and elaborated: scripting, staging, performing and interpreting. It is suggested that movement outcomes hinge in part upon how well activists employ these techniques and manage various emergent contingencies and tensions. The paper concludes with a discussion of several sets of theoretical and empirical implications.

Performance Studies: Interventions and Radical Research

2002-06-01

Dwight Conquergood

“Only middle-class academics could blithely assume that all the world is a text,” writes one of performance studies' leading figures. Conquergood argues for a hybrid discipline that celebrates experience and … “Only middle-class academics could blithely assume that all the world is a text,” writes one of performance studies' leading figures. Conquergood argues for a hybrid discipline that celebrates experience and commingles the analytic and the artistic.

Unmarked: The Politics of Performance

1994-01-01

Philip Auslander , Peggy Phelan

Phelan's critical analysis of this anthology of performance foregrounds issues of corporeality, racial and sexual difference, reproductive rights and AIDS. Cultural practices of photography, film, theatre, political protest and performance … Phelan's critical analysis of this anthology of performance foregrounds issues of corporeality, racial and sexual difference, reproductive rights and AIDS. Cultural practices of photography, film, theatre, political protest and performance art are discussed in relation to pshycoanalytic and feminist theories. Emphasis is placed on the works of Mapplethorpe, Schor, Sherman, Rainer, Livingston and Stoppard. Includes name and theme index. 337 bibl. ref.

Mimesis as Make-Beleive

1995-01-01

Noël Carroll , Kendall L. Walton

Journal Article Mimesis as Make-Believe Get access Mimesis as Make-Believe: on the Foundations of the Representational Arts. By Kendall L. Walton. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1990. Pp. 450. Price not … Journal Article Mimesis as Make-Believe Get access Mimesis as Make-Believe: on the Foundations of the Representational Arts. By Kendall L. Walton. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1990. Pp. 450. Price not given.) Noël Carroll Noël Carroll University of Wisconsin at Madison Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 45, Issue 178, January 1995, Pages 93–99, https://doi.org/10.2307/2219853 Published: 01 January 1995

From Ritual to Theatre: The Human Seriousness of Play

1983-12-01

A. Theodore Kachel , Victor Turner , Bruce Wilshire

Mimesis as Make-Believe

1993-01-01

V. A. Howard

Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society

1974-01-01

Anthony J. Blasi , Victor Turner , Barbara G. Myerhoff

Journal Article Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society by Victor Turner. Ithaca: Cornell University Press and Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians by Barbara … Journal Article Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society by Victor Turner. Ithaca: Cornell University Press and Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians by Barbara G. Myerhoff. Ithaca: Cornell University Press Get access Anthony J. Blasi Anthony J. Blasi DePauw University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Sociology of Religion, Volume 35, Issue 4, Winter 1974, Pages 295–297, https://doi.org/10.2307/3710621 Published: 01 December 1974

Absorption and Theatricality

1980-12-31

Michael Fried

Materials of performance

2017-10-19

Robert Shaughnessy

In 1973, Buzz Goodbody made her main-stage solo directorial debut with a production of As You Like It that was led by Eileen Atkins as Rosalind and Richard Pasco as … In 1973, Buzz Goodbody made her main-stage solo directorial debut with a production of As You Like It that was led by Eileen Atkins as Rosalind and Richard Pasco as Jaques. In what has become a familiar tactic in productions of this play, the strict, tightly-buttoned formality of the court scenes lent them a vaguely Edwardian than contemporary flavour, while the move to Arden released the lords and lovers into easy-going, casual-contemporary style. This was evident in the most remarked-upon of the production's costume decisions, its liberal use of denim. The programme for the As You Like It concisely articulated both the production's and the RSC's position in the 1980s theatrical marketplace. Twelve years later, the scene would be given a more pointedly metaphorical colouring in Adrian Noble's production, which was led by Juliet Stevenson as Rosalind, Fiona Shaw as Celia and Alan Rickman as Jaques.

Imaginary Bodies : Ethics, Power and Corporeality

1996-01-01

Kathleen Lennon

Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society

1975-03-01

Robert W. Friedrichs , Victor Turner

Postdramatic Theatre

2006-09-27

Hans-Thies Lehmann

Newly adapted for the Anglophone reader, this is an excellent translation of Hans-Thies Lehmann’s groundbreaking study of the new theatre forms that have developed since the late 1960s, which has … Newly adapted for the Anglophone reader, this is an excellent translation of Hans-Thies Lehmann’s groundbreaking study of the new theatre forms that have developed since the late 1960s, which has become a key reference point in international discussions of contemporary theatre. In looking at the developments since the late 1960s, Lehmann considers them in relation to dramatic theory and theatre history, as an inventive response to the emergence of new technologies, and as an historical shift from a text-based culture to a new media age of image and sound. Engaging with theoreticians of 'drama' from Aristotle and Brecht, to Barthes and Schechner, the book analyzes the work of recent experimental theatre practitioners such as Robert Wilson, Tadeusz Kantor, Heiner Müller, the Wooster Group, Needcompany and Societas Raffaello Sanzio. Illustrated by a wealth of practical examples, and with an introduction by Karen Jürs-Munby providing useful theoretical and artistic contexts for the book, Postdramatic Theatre is an historical survey expertly combined with a unique theoretical approach which guides the reader through this new theatre landscape.

Touching feeling: affect, pedagogy, performativity

2003-09-01

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The Transformative Power of Performance

2008-06-05

Erika Fischer–Lichte

Audiences: A Sociological Theory of Performance and Imagination

1998-01-01

Nicholas Abercrombie , Brian Longhurst

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Performance: A Critical Introduction

2013-12-16

Marvin Carlson

Performing feminisms : feminist critical theory and theatre

1990-01-01

Sue‐Ellen Case

A valuable, provoking, important addition to any theatre scholar or practitioner's library, especially since feminist theory is a relative newcomer to the world of theatre. A valuable, provoking, important addition to any theatre scholar or practitioner's library, especially since feminist theory is a relative newcomer to the world of theatre.

Rite, drama, festival, spectacle : rehearsals toward a theory of cultural performance

1984-01-01

John J. MacAloon

Critical Pedagogies and Language Learning

2004-01-12

Bonny Norton , Kelleen Toohey

This important volume on the critical pedagogical approach addresses such topics as critical multiculturalism, gender and language learning, and popular culture. Critical pedagogies are instructional approaches aimed at transforming existing … This important volume on the critical pedagogical approach addresses such topics as critical multiculturalism, gender and language learning, and popular culture. Critical pedagogies are instructional approaches aimed at transforming existing social relations in the interest of greater equity in schools and communities. This paperback edition on the pedagogical approach addresses such topics as critical multiculturalism, gender and language learning, and popular culture. Committed to language education that contributes to social justice, the contributors explore the meaning of creating equitable and critical instructional practices, by exploring diverse representations of knowledge. In addition, recommendations are made for further research, teacher education, and critical testing.

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Rachmaninoff Meets Stanislavski: An Allegorical Archive and the Topos of Breath

2025-06-25

Pauline Graham | Routledge eBooks

Intersubjectivity in Performance

2025-06-25

Ian Cross , Neta Spiro | Routledge eBooks

The sweet trap behind female-oriented micro-dramas: strategies for constructing simulacral subjectivity in female protagonists

Shakespearen sonetin 56 puhuja käyttää apostrofista puhuttelurakennetta kuvatakseen rakkauden kohteen läsnäolon ja poissaolon dynamiikkaa. Sonetin alku vertaa rakkautta nälkään ja ruokkimiseen, kun taas loppusonetti pyrkii ilmaisemaan puhujan emotionaalisen kokemuksen rakastetun … Shakespearen sonetin 56 puhuja käyttää apostrofista puhuttelurakennetta kuvatakseen rakkauden kohteen läsnäolon ja poissaolon dynamiikkaa. Sonetin alku vertaa rakkautta nälkään ja ruokkimiseen, kun taas loppusonetti pyrkii ilmaisemaan puhujan emotionaalisen kokemuksen rakastetun poissaolon tuomasta surusta. Analysoin sonetin apostrofia psykoanalyysin transferenssin käsitteen näkökulmasta. Transferenssissa yksilö siirtää sisäistä todellisuuttaan varhaisesta hoitosuhteesta nykyisiin suhteisiinsa; transferenssin mukainen kokemus näyttäytyy yksilölle totena ja siirtymä ja toisto itsessään jäävät tiedostumatta. Luen sonetin apostrofia tekstuaalisena vastineena tälle psyykkiselle prosessille, josta runo antaa kokemuksellista tietoa. Vastaavasti luen sonetille ominaista trooppien korvautumista toisillaan vastineena transferenssin mukaisen jähmeän tunnerakenteen purkautumiselle. Transferenssia ja apostrofia yhdistää tulkintani mukaan sama motiivi, halu kumota menetetyn varhaisen rakkaudenkohteen poissaolo. Sonetti ei kuitenkaan jää toistamaan tätä toivetta vaan tematisoi transferenssin ja tutkii, miten rakkauden kohteen poissaolo vaikuttaa subjektin kokemusmaailmaan. Sonetin 56 emotionaalinen totuus – sen teema – on sen trooppien dynaamisen vuorovaikutuksen ja muun tarkoin harkitun rakenteen tuottama kokemus poeettisesta ”väliajasta”, jossa merkitys ja totuus ovat vasta tuloillaan.

Play and Performance, Perfection and Pessimism: A Reassessment of (the Politics of) Point Break

2025-06-20

Tim Beasley-Murray | Journal of Popular Film and Television

Book Review: Theatre is Different: la Traducción de la Experiencia Dramática

2025-06-20

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Prompting Realities: Reappropriating Tangible Artifacts Through Conversation

2025-06-20

Mahan Mehrvarz | interactions

Transnational Theatre Encounters: Reflections on Mediation and Power

2025-06-19

Ruba Totah | Theater

An archive of childhoods outside the norm: a perspective on Suzanne Osten’s theatre for young audiences

2025-06-19

Whiteface Minstrels, Stage Europeans, and Twenty-First-Century Television Dramas

2025-06-19

Marvin McAllister | Cambridge University Press eBooks

Days 5 to 15 Before Theatre

2025-06-18

Connor Brown , Alisha Allana | CRC Press eBooks

Correctional Institutions (Prisons) Not as Punishment, but as Alternative Pathways to Self-Liberation and Enlightenment: A Study of Bangladesh’s Correctional System

2025-06-18

Performance as discourse: a multimodal perspective on meaning-making in theater

2025-06-14

Arash Ghazvineh | Semiotica

Abstract This paper presents a multimodal framework to the analysis of meaning-making in theatrical performances, conceptualizing them as multimodal discourses. It posits that the adoption of a discourse-oriented approach to … Abstract This paper presents a multimodal framework to the analysis of meaning-making in theatrical performances, conceptualizing them as multimodal discourses. It posits that the adoption of a discourse-oriented approach to theatrical performances addresses the limitations inherent in traditional syntax-oriented semiotics, thereby facilitating a more nuanced examination of performance interpretation. The central argument of the paper is that the underlying mechanisms of discourse semantics can better explain the meaning-making in theater by elucidating the intermodal and intramodal interactions among diverse theatrical semiotic resources. To demonstrate the practical applicability of this framework, the study conducts a detailed analysis of several instances from two English and Persian performances of the play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, showcasing its effectiveness in revealing the intricate interplay of various semiotic resources involved in constructing a coherent theatrical discourse. The findings underscore that embracing a discursive perspective in the examination of theater and conceptualizing it as a multimodal discourse substantially enhances the comprehension of its meaning-making mechanisms.

Kuidas teater võiks mõjutada meie heaolu. Teatrietenduse psühholoogiline vastuvõtumudel / How Theatre Might Influence Our Well-being: A Psychological Reception Model of Theatrical Performance

2025-06-14

M. Baradad Jurjo | Methis Studia humaniora Estonica

Teesid: Käesolev artikkel tutvustab teatrietenduse psühholoogilist vastuvõtumudelit, mis kombineerib psühholoogilisi protsesse kultuuriteooriatega. Mudeli eesmärk on selgitada, millistel psühholoogilistel alustel me etendust vastu võtame ning analüüsime. Mudeli ja seal käsitletud protsesside … Teesid: Käesolev artikkel tutvustab teatrietenduse psühholoogilist vastuvõtumudelit, mis kombineerib psühholoogilisi protsesse kultuuriteooriatega. Mudeli eesmärk on selgitada, millistel psühholoogilistel alustel me etendust vastu võtame ning analüüsime. Mudeli ja seal käsitletud protsesside illustreerimiseks on kasutatud näiteid eesti teatrite lavastustest, mis on rohkem või vähem seotud vaimse tervise ja heaoluga. Kokkuvõtteks toob artikkel esile, kuidas teatrietenduse vaatamine aktiveerib psühholoogilisi protsesse, mis võivad aidata suurendada vaimset heaolu. Mental health is a topic that is impossible to overlook in today’s world. Many of us have experienced mental health issues either personally or indirectly. While psychology and psychiatry are the primary fields that study this subject, culture – and particularly theatre – can also play a significant role. Culture is often said to be something that nourishes the soul: even the word psychology derives from the Greek word psyche, meaning soul. Nevertheless, psychology and culture have seemingly grown apart, and are rarely examined together. In this study, I seek to bridge these two disciplines and analyse culture, specifically theatre and its reception, from a psychological perspective. This article introduces a psychological reception model for theatre performances and explains how theatre can influence mental well-being. By combining psychological phenomena such as cognitive processes, changes in belief and attitude, and cognitive dissonance with cultural theories such as the horizon of expectations and identification, I propose a framework that illustrates how these processes are activated during a performance and how they shape the audience’s experience. These psychological mechanisms and cultural theories are integrated into a psychological reception model for theatre, which explains what happens to the audience on a psychological level during a performance. While this model is partially based on previous theories, it offers an innovative synthesis that provides new perspectives on the psychological effect of theatre. Additionally, my analysis draws on my background in psychology, both from academic studies and from practical work as a psychologist and therapist. The research is based on examples from Estonian theatre productions that are directly or indirectly related to mental well-being. First, I analyse Kui sa tuled, too mul lilli (“If You Come, Bring Me Flowers”, Ugala Theatre, directed by Liis Aedmaa and Laura Kalle, 2021), which explores domestic violence. I then turn to Musträstas (“The Blackbird”, Nuutrum and Oliivipuu OÜ, directed by Johan Elm, 2022), which deals with the topic of paedophilia. In both cases, my focus is on how these performances are received through the lens of a psychological reception model, how they help illuminate the psychological impact of theatre, and in what ways they may shape audiences’ attitudes and beliefs toward the issues portrayed. My study is guided by two main research questions: first, on what psychological foundations does theatre reception take place, and second, what impact does a theatrical performance have on the audience? These two questions are closely connected because the psychological mechanisms of reception directly shape how theatre affects the viewer, for example, what emotional and cognitive processes are activated and how do they, in turn, influence attitude and belief change. I argue that because human cognition is engaged in any activity involving perception or thought, it is impossible to discuss theatre reception without considering psychological processes. Watching a performance activates thought processes and emotions, as well as deeper mechanisms such as attitude and belief systems that shape the interpretation of what unfolds on stage. At the same time, cultural context influences receptivity, as individuals are shaped by the cultural environment in which they have grown up and the informational landscape that surrounds them. Furthermore, I argue that theatre has the power to influence the audience’s knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. During a performance, the viewer enters a new informational field where they are exposed to novel perspectives that can reinforce existing attitudes or, conversely, create cognitive dissonance, a situation in which previously held mental frameworks require revision. This can lead to modifications in attitudes and perceptions, which, in turn, can affect everyday life and personal decision-making. When addressing health issues, we often turn to practical solutions such as bandages or medication. Similarly, we could view theatre as a practical tool that can support our mental well-being. Theatre is not merely Entertainment, it is an experience that allows us to make sense of our lives and generate new perspectives. Since new perspectives are crucial when dealing with mental health challenges, theatre could serve as an important resource alongside therapy and antidepressants.

Dancing at the Thresholds

2025-06-13

Tamara Turner | Indiana University Press eBooks

Accessing Audiovisual and Supplemental MaterialsList of IllustrationsNote on TransliterationPreludeIntroductionPART 1. Rupture and Emergence: Trans-Saharan Roots, Routes, and Afro-Maghribi Emplacement1. Caravans, Sufis, and Maghribi Islam2. The Emergence of Dīwān and Its … Accessing Audiovisual and Supplemental MaterialsList of IllustrationsNote on TransliterationPreludeIntroductionPART 1. Rupture and Emergence: Trans-Saharan Roots, Routes, and Afro-Maghribi Emplacement1. Caravans, Sufis, and Maghribi Islam2. The Emergence of Dīwān and Its Polyvalent Pantheon3. Sounding and Embodying the PantheonPART 2. Affective Ecologies of Ritual: Atmosphere, Affective Labor, and Bodily Ignition4. The Magnitude of Atmosphere5. Launching and Warming the Ritual Ecology6. (Inter-)Corporeality, Trance, and Affective IgnitionPART 3. "Modernizing" Dīwān: Imbricated Milieux and New Economies of Transmission7. New Economies of Transmission8. The National Dīwān FestivalEpilogue: Trajectories of DīwānAppendicesGlossarySourcesAcknowledgmentsIndex

Dramaturgy as a Cinematographer’s Tool for Representing Reality and Simulating Audience Perception

2025-06-13

Hanna Chmil , Ivan Linev | Bulletin of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts Series in Audiovisual Art and Production

The purpose of the article. To analyse the role of drama in cinema and how it helps to create reality on the screen, convey deep feelings, and influence the audience’s … The purpose of the article. To analyse the role of drama in cinema and how it helps to create reality on the screen, convey deep feelings, and influence the audience’s perception. Determine how technical means are used to create an emotional connection with the audience and how realism in cinematography is achieved through storylines and conflicts. Research methodology. The following methods were used: theoretical – analysis of television films and information sources; empirical – systematisation of one’s own experience in short dramatic films; generalising – the impact of drama on cinema; and determining the interdependence of its mechanisms in modelling audience perception. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the key aspects of drama in the context of influence on cinematography were analysed. A detailed analysis of the interdependence of these mechanisms in the modelling of audience perception was carried out; with the help of a theoretical analysis of television films, cinematography tools were determined, influencing the reflection of reality and the formation of one’s vision. A comparative study of dramaturgical approaches between cinema and other art forms (theatre, literature) was conducted. Classical aspects of the conflict are reinterpreted in light of modern technologies or societal changes. Conclusions. In the article, the key mechanisms of drama are revealed. With the help of the analysis of television films, its function in the cinema has been established. Elaborate tools that reflect reality in art and model audience perception. The role of the structural elements of drama in creating realism to the reflection and modification of reality has been objectively proven. The evolution of cinematography with the development of new technologies and changes in viewing habits is studied.

The Play of Play

2025-06-12

Kjetil Horn Hogstad , Caroline Cruaud | Deleted Journal

This article takes three steps to explore 'play' as an educational concept. In the first step, we analyse 'play' as a "playful attitude" with reference to the theories of Jacques … This article takes three steps to explore 'play' as an educational concept. In the first step, we analyse 'play' as a "playful attitude" with reference to the theories of Jacques Henriot and Erving Goffman. Here, we suggest that play can entail not simply the activity of playing, but also the player’s attitude and the surrounding social frame. In the second step, with reference to Jacques Derrida and Catherine Malabou, we suggest that 'play' can be thought of as an ontological space for creativity, involving not only the student in the educational situation, but their entire being. In the third step, we analyse the case of "Sindre", a Norwegian upper-secondary school student, who plays a gamified French language learning application. His playing the game appears as an act of self-transformation from sedate to active student. Our analysis of Sindre’s case provides a new way of conceptualising the possibilities and limitations of schooling and teaching.

A Sense of Drama

2025-06-12

Tom Gasek | CRC Press eBooks