Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    1/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    1

    As aspiring performers we look to our predecessors - those who came before us in the

    dramaturgical world - in order to learn from where theatre arrived. If art reflects culture then

    as times have changed so too has theatre: the performative elements that are favoured, the

    topical focuses and the subsequent social implications. Karen Jrs-Munby in her

    Introduction to Lehmanns Postdramatic Theatre explains that although new theatre is playful

    and innocent, the practitioners of contemporary experimental theatre are actually well

    versed in the historical avant-garde, the neo- and post-avant-garde and so-called modern

    drama (2006: 7). We need to understand what it is that preceded us and also what is

    happening in the modern (2006: 7) dramatic world in order to understand our position

    therein. It next comes naturally then, that the responsibility falls on the new wave of

    performers to take the theatre of now into the next theatrical realm: we decide which

    performative elements are favoured, we decide upon which topics we shall focus, and then

    we shall see the social implications of our new theatre. Many terms have been used to

    describe the new forms of theatre because it is difficult to name a movement of theatre that is

    happen in the present- if we call ourselves modern (Jrs-Munby, 7), what is meant by the

    term postmodernism. What is meant by the term post-dramatic? What is mean by the term

    Performance Art and what is meant by the termperformance?

    It is our goal to ascertain what is meant by these words and in what context are they are best

    used, whether or not they are interchangeable and ifnotwhat differentiates them from each

    other. Once we have deciphered the difference, it is worth examining them in regard to new

    texts, in order to understand which of these terms are applicable (and how this is discernable).

    For that reason let us take the work of artist Karen Finlay: A Constant State Of Desire and

    Heiner MllersHamletmachine and examine them according to the following definitions.

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    2/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    2

    Firstly let us take the term postdramatic. The most conclusive examination of what this term

    refers to and the elements that make it up isPostdramatic Theatreby Hans-Theis Lehmann.

    Lehmann defines postdramatic theatre as that which explores the relationship of the

    following concepts: text, space, time, the body and media. In Karen Jrs-Munbys

    Introduction to Lehmanns work, she suggests that Post-Dramatic theatre requires a renewed

    attention to be placed on the performance in theatre and that the previously assumed

    dominance of the text should be challenged. (2005: 4). The focus should instead be placed

    on the body in space and on an expectation on the spectator that he should become an active

    co-writer of the (performance) text (2005: 6). Consequently if we define dramatic theatre

    as having a focus on the dramatic text, then postdramatic theatre must be a movement

    away from this focus. Karen Jurs-Munby clarifies what exactly this prefix post entails:

    that post here is not to be understood as an epochal category, nor simply as a

    chronological after drama, a forgetting of the dramatic past, but rather as rupture and a

    beyond that continue to entertain relationships with drama and are in many ways an analysis

    and anamnesis of drama (Lehmann, 2006: 2).

    Our definition of postdramatic theatre therefore is one which favours more than just the

    dramatic text, it exists not within a fourth wall, fictional totality but instead depicts the

    world as open to its audience, an essentially possible world, pregnant with potentiality.

    (Jurs-Munby, 2005: 12)

    So, what then distinguishes postdramatic theatre from postmodernism? Postmodernism is a

    term which describes a movement in art, music, architecture, literature, and philosophy

    defined by a reaction to modernism. Again, to refer to the Introduction by Karen Jurs-

    Munby, applying the term postmodernism to theatre is problematic because of the

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    3/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    3

    difficulty surrounding anycategorical definition of what the postmodern actually is and

    consequntly the superficial (Jurs Munby, 2005: 13-14) terms postmodern theatre and

    postmodern drama have been utilised in an attempt to find a way to tie this concept of

    postmodernism in with performance. Wessendorf in Jurs-Munby summarises this idea that

    postdramatic theatre deconstructs drama which is integral to theatre tradition, where as

    postmodernism deconstructs our view of what is modern which does not always tie into

    theatre.

    Even though the concept of postdramatic theatre is in many ways analogous to the

    notion of postmodern theatre, it is not based on the application of a general cultural concept

    to the specific domain of theatre, but derives and unfolds from within a long- establish

    discourse on theatre aesthetics instead, as a deconstruction of one of its major premises.

    Because it is more difficult to associate postmodernism with theatre than it is to connect the

    term postdramatic with theatre, theatre practitioners, critics and scholars have had much more

    difficulty defining this term. Lehmann suggest that works of the 1970s to late 1990s theatre

    became referred to as post-modern, summarising them as the theatre of deconstruction,

    multimedia theatre, restoratively traditionalist theatre, theatre of gestures and movement.

    (2006: 25). He discussed that this definition leaves us with a very broad idea of what is meant

    by postmodernism or postmodern theatre and because of this the term postdramatic,

    which has been previously seen as interchangeable with postmodern, is more relevant. He

    explains that postmodernism examines a nihilism and grotesqueness in an empty, silent

    space, while postdramatic theatre can inhabit not only the empty space but also the

    overcrowded space and if we these are the key words (nihilistic and grotesque) is King

    Learthen postmodern? (2006: 25) Before we move onto define Performance Art, an

    interesting point to note is that of Jeanie Forte, who in her article Womens Performance Art:

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    4/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    4

    Feminism and Postmodernism explains postmodernism as a filter through which to view

    Performance Art: through the lens of postmodernism feminist theory, womens performance

    art appears inherently political. (1988: 217)

    Lehman states that Performance Art is a form which strives for an experience of the real

    and compares this to postdramatic theatre which makes an attempt to conceptualize art:

    it does not offer a representation of the real but instead a more direct approach, or as

    Lehmann calls it an unmediated experience of the real (time, space, body). (2005: 134)

    Lehmann also suggests that the heart of Performance Art is a shared experience between

    artist and audience and that difference between the concept of Performance and the concept

    of Theatre (postdramatic or otherwise) becomes less significant as a performer gets closer

    to an event and to the performance artists gesture of self-presentation (2005: 134). This is to

    say that Lehmann favours the body, time and space as the most important part of theatre,

    namely his postdramatic theatre, and the more performance artists understand what it is they

    are showing with their bodies and the gestures they make, the more they place with the

    dimensions of time (2005: 134) and space the more theatrical Performance Art becomes.

    Both Performance Art and postdramatic theatre according to Lehmann aim to no longer

    be oriented towards the psychological unfolding of action and character. (2005: 134).

    Jeanie Forte confirms this idea in her definition ofPerformance Art which is that all

    performance art, particularly in the earlier years, evidenced a deconstructive intent. (1988:

    217) She also suggests that Performance Art made a radical movement away from those

    concepts which we associate at modern or elements ofmodernism, particularly

    commercialism, assimilation and triviality, within the deconstruction of commercial art

    network (being galleries and museums). By abusing these spaces which are the very

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    5/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    5

    pinnacle of modern art, Performance Art is attacking the structures and institutions of

    modern art, resulting hence in the concept ofpostmodernism. (1988: 217).

    Performance is a word that applies to all theatrical movements and approaches to theatre

    because it refers to thephysical presentation of the text. The performance (of any genre of

    theatre, including both dramatic and postdramatic theatre) is the work done by the

    performers and incorporates those elements which are specific to whichever theatrical form

    or style it is that is being performed, an integrative aesthetic of the live. (Barck, 1995:

    133) Performance, according to Lehmann, involves a face to face communication that

    cannot be replaced by even the most advanced interface mediated communication process

    which in the words of Gumbrecht means a performance of presence. (2005: 135). The act

    ofperformance, namely the staging practice allows a performative act of new theatre a

    reality without necessarily representing something real. (2005: 135-136) It is possible

    that the realityinduced by the physical presence (2005: 135) ofperformance is enough,

    and that it does not need to exhibit any emotional substance. (2005: 136.)

    To clarify, the term performance relates to that which the performers do, postdramatic

    theatre and Performance Art are forms (of which performances occur) which differ in

    some ways as we have said above, but both of which aim to deconstruct. (Forte, 1988: 217)

    In the case ofpostdramatic theatrethe deconstruction is of the concept of the dramatic and

    in Performance Art the deconstruction is of the idea of modernism. The term

    postmodernism therefore describes a movement in the arts, namely literature, architecture

    and visual arts away from modernism.

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    6/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    6

    Now that we understand the difference between these four concepts, let us examine them in

    terms of new work: firstly Karen FinlaysA Constant State of Desire. The work of Karen

    Finlay aims to afflict the senses of her spectators through an exploration of self, through

    monologue style personal accounts of the experiences of a range of characters, reflecting and

    deconstructing the conditions of seeing and hearing in the society of the media (Lehmann,

    2006: 167). With this definition in mind we can locate her work under the category of

    experimental theatre, which Lehmann includes under the cap of postdramatic.

    It also sits firmly within the term ofperformance because it is reliant on the body on stage

    for full impact. While reading the text which Finlay performs it is interesting to note that

    she does not simplyspeakthe lines, but the performance is in the way she moves her body,

    and the different sounds she creates with her voice, specific to the space in which she brings

    the text to life. Finlay herself describes in detail the processes through which she puts her

    body in order for the performance of her writing to reach its full potential.

    That state of being is very natural, so I'm surprised when people call it a trance state.

    It's something really lacking in our culture-any kind of religion, or any kind of spiritual mask,

    or any way of breaking the usual routine of day-to-day acting. When one is emotional, when

    an event takes someone by surprise, whether it's a death, a birth, or anything, it breaks that

    nine-to-five type of behavior. That's what I want to be showing. I do go into somewhat of a

    trance because when I perform I want it to be different than acting. I hope this doesn't sound

    too dorky or trite-I'm really interested in being a medium, and I have done a lot of psychic

    type of work. I put myself into a state, for some reason it's important, so that things come in

    and out of me, I'm almost like a vehicle. And so when I'm talking it's just coming through me.

    (Schechner and Finlay, 1988: 154)

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    7/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    7

    She describes that the energy she picks up from those around her and the energy that she

    herself emits is an extremely important element of her work (something which cannot be

    gained from reading the text alone) and she consequently highlights the importance of the

    live performance.

    I pick up the energies from the people, I got to completely psych into them because I

    want them to feel that I am really feeling it. Maybe not even my words, but just that energy.

    I'm giving everything I have to make it an experience. You can't pick that up on film or on

    disks.It's the live experience, and that's really important. (Schechner and Finlay, 1988: 154)

    To further this examination: if, as we have said, the main premise of postdramatic theatre is

    a shift of focus away from the dramatic(namely the text) then Finlays insistence that the

    live performance takes precedence over the dramatic text, we can conclude that according

    to this definition, Finlay herselfconfirms that her work is, in this sense, postdramatic. Her

    live performance has such as significant impact on her audience that excited men have been

    known to throw lit cigarettes at her, (Fuchs, 1989: 49): hence, yes, the term performance

    and the importance of this idea is certainly relevant to Finlays work.

    Now we shall consider, isA Constant State of DesirePerformance Art? According to Jeanie

    Forte as we previously discussed, an important element ofPerformance Art is the

    deconstruction of the institutions that make up modernism. In the same interview, Finlay

    discusses the cancelling of her work because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

    The first place I was asked to stop was at the ICA [Institute of Contemporary Art]

    and next was AIR [Artists in Residence], a gallery. People say, "Oh, we can't really put you

    on here, but maybe we could set somethingup in a loft, not announce it publicly. (Schechner

    and Finlay, 1988: 152)

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    8/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    8

    If we were to apply the term postmodernism to Karen Finlay it would involved examining

    her work as a piece of literature: she utilises literary techniques to remove a sense ofrealism

    instead creating her own world in which it is real and acceptable to change between the

    different personas which she has created, morphing ages and genders, and the use of non-

    realistic and repetitive text. Dont worry, I wont mention your name. Dont worry, I wont

    mention your name (Finley, 1990: 5)

    As can be concluded from this analysis, all four of the terms are in some sense applicable to

    A Constant State of Desire because they refer to elements of or a movement towards the type

    of theatre that Karen Finlay is propelling forward in her writing and in her presence on stage.

    New let us examine Heiner MullersHamletmachine to see how well the above definitions of

    these key terms relate to this text. Firstly, is it postdramatic? ShakespearesHamletis a play

    which conforms to those elements which are associated with the term dramatic. It has a

    distinct beginning, middle and an end, it follows the plights of dramatic characters and, like

    all ofShakespeares work, it requires detailed attention to be placed on the importance of the

    literary text. Heiner MullersHamletmachinedissected the drama into monologues and

    could be seen as utilising the postdramatic concept of attempting to alienate, twist, distort,

    perforate and dismember the dramatic, through use of literary deconstructive techniques

    such as slang (Lehmann, 1997: 57). All a spectator needs to do is take a note of the very first

    line of Mullers text by the character Hamlet I stood at the shore and talked with the surf

    BLABLA (Muller, 1984: 53) to notice the use of the technique; the informal BLABLA

    instantly undermining the focus on dramatic text which we expect of works of Shakespeare.

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    9/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    9

    In understanding whether or notHamletmachine fits in the realm ofPerformance Art, it is

    worth noting Mullers collaboration with Robert Wilson. The postdramatic elements of

    Mullers text combined with the modern, multimedia-driven experiments used by Wilson

    allow us to define this text as Performance Art. In the words of Vanden Heuvel a dynamic

    interaction ensues between the literary elements of Mullers text, a structure and language

    laced with an overbearing sense of modernist historical angst and fragmentation, and the

    playful, multimedia insurgencies of Wilsons production elements (Vanden Heuvel, 1992:

    54).

    Sue-Ellen Case brings us to our next point, namely the application of the term performance

    to the work of Heiner Muller. She says that the language or action of the script is not as

    important/ radical as the text which lies in its production. There is no language or action

    in the script for the subject or the selfthe radical quality of the text lies in its production

    (Case, 1983: 100). The images which are conjured in the imagination of the reader from such

    stage directions as The woman dangling from a rope. The woman with her arteries cut open

    etc. Hamlet views them with the attitude of a visitor in a museum (theatre). The dead women

    tear the clothes off his body (Muller, 1984: 55) are obviously more profound in seeing them

    on stage, in performance and so we can conclude that the body on stage, is integral to the

    realization of Mullers work.

    Mullers reference to watching the dangling woman with the attitude of a visitor in a

    museum( 1984: 55) and his comparing that the theatre brings us back to Fortes point of the

    use and abuse of modern structures and institutions like museums and galleries, and

    highlights the idea of postmodernism in visual art being reflected in the theatre.

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    10/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    10

    Consequently parallels can be drawn between the concept of postmodernismand Mullers

    Hamletmachine.

    To summarise, it is true, that many different terms have been used to try to most effectively

    examine the new work arising from new artists and the following concepts postdramatic

    theatre, postmodernism, Performance Art and performance each come with a different

    set of connotations are each applicable to the works of artists such as Karen Finlay and

    Heiner Muller in differing contexts. Specifically the textsA Constant State of Desire and

    Hamletmachine are comparable in terms of their conformation to postdramatic theatre and

    performance art their examination of postmodern concepts and the focus on performance

    as an integral element of these texts as a whole.

  • 7/27/2019 Postmodernism in Theatre - An Essay.docx

    11/11

    Laura Jackson

    3268962

    11

    Works Cited

    Case, Sue-Ellen 1983, From Bertolt Brecht to Heiner Muller,Performing Arts Journal, MIT

    Press on behalf of PAJ, vol.7, no.1, pp. 94-102.

    Finley, K 1990, The Constant State of Desire, in Shock Treatment, Distributor,

    Subterranean Co., San Francisco, pp. 126.

    Lehmann, H 2006, Postdramatic Theatre, trans. Karen Jurs-Munby, Routeledge, London

    Muller, H 1984, Hamletmachine inHamletmachine and Other Texts for the Stage,

    Performing Arts Journal Publications, New York, pp. 49-58

    Vanden Heuvel, M March 1992, Complementary Spaces: Realism, Performance and a New

    Dialogics of Theatre Theatre Journal, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 47-58.

    Schechner, R & Finley, Spring 1988,Karen Finley: A Constant State of Becoming: An

    Interview, TDR (1988-), Vol. 32, No. 1 , pp. 152-158

    Forte, Jeanie, May 1988, Women's Performance Art: Feminism and Postmodernism,Theatre

    Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 pp. 217-235

    http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrejhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrejhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrejhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrejhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrejhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/action/showPublication?journalCode=theatrej