Corporeal tales : an investigation into narrative form in contemporary South African dance and choreography
- Authors: Parker, Alan Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Sichel, Adrienne Krouse, Matthew Dance -- South Africa Choreography -- South Africa Choreographers -- South Africa Dance criticism -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007658
- Description: In the years following the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, dance and choreography have undergone considerable transformation. This investigation stems from one observation relative to this change that has been articulated by two of South Africa's most respected dance critics, Adrienne Sichel and Matthew Krouse. Both critics have noted a growing concern for narrative in South African contemporary choreography, coupled with an apparent propensity for narratives of a distinctly personal and 'autobiographical' nature. In Part One: 'Just after the beginning', the proposed preoccupation with narrative in South African contemporary choreography is discussed in light of the relationship between narrative and the notion of personal identity. The use of the performed narrative as a medium to explore questions about identity is offered as one explanation underpinning this increased proclivity, where the interrogation of the form of the danced narrative provides a site for exploration of personal identity. Part Two: 'Somewhere in the middle' interrogates the notion of form through an in-depth discussion of the experimentation with form within theatrical and antitheatrical dance traditions over the last fifty years. Specific works by three selected South African choreographers (Ginslov, Maqoma and Sabbagha) are discussed in terms of their general approach to narrative form. This provides an illustration of some of the approaches to narrative form emergent in contemporary South African choreographic practices. Part Three: 'Nearing the end' offers Acty Tang's Chaste (2007) as a case study to illustrate the practical application of the dance narrative as a means to interrogate questions relating to personal identity. A detailed analysis of Tang's particular approach to forming the narrative of Chaste is conducted, exposing the intertextual, multimedia and multidisciplinary approach to creating the danced narrative.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Parker, Alan Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Sichel, Adrienne Krouse, Matthew Dance -- South Africa Choreography -- South Africa Choreographers -- South Africa Dance criticism -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007658
- Description: In the years following the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, dance and choreography have undergone considerable transformation. This investigation stems from one observation relative to this change that has been articulated by two of South Africa's most respected dance critics, Adrienne Sichel and Matthew Krouse. Both critics have noted a growing concern for narrative in South African contemporary choreography, coupled with an apparent propensity for narratives of a distinctly personal and 'autobiographical' nature. In Part One: 'Just after the beginning', the proposed preoccupation with narrative in South African contemporary choreography is discussed in light of the relationship between narrative and the notion of personal identity. The use of the performed narrative as a medium to explore questions about identity is offered as one explanation underpinning this increased proclivity, where the interrogation of the form of the danced narrative provides a site for exploration of personal identity. Part Two: 'Somewhere in the middle' interrogates the notion of form through an in-depth discussion of the experimentation with form within theatrical and antitheatrical dance traditions over the last fifty years. Specific works by three selected South African choreographers (Ginslov, Maqoma and Sabbagha) are discussed in terms of their general approach to narrative form. This provides an illustration of some of the approaches to narrative form emergent in contemporary South African choreographic practices. Part Three: 'Nearing the end' offers Acty Tang's Chaste (2007) as a case study to illustrate the practical application of the dance narrative as a means to interrogate questions relating to personal identity. A detailed analysis of Tang's particular approach to forming the narrative of Chaste is conducted, exposing the intertextual, multimedia and multidisciplinary approach to creating the danced narrative.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
The originating impulses of Ankoku Butoh: towards an understanding of the trans-cultural embodiment of Tatsumi Hijikata's dance of darkness
- Authors: Truter, Orlando Vincent
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Hijikata, Tatsumi, 1928-1986 , Butō , Modern dance -- Japan , Dancers -- Japan , Choreographers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2153 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004454
- Description: From Introduction: Ankoku Butoh is a performing art devised in Japan in the wake of the Second World War by the dancer and choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata (born Akita, 1928; died Tokyo, 1986). A highly aesthetic and subversive performing art, Butoh often evokes "images of decay, of fear and desperation, images of eroticism, ecstasy and stillness." Typically performed with a white layer of paint covering the entire body of the dancer, Butoh is visually characterized by continual transformations between postures, distorted physical and facial expressions, and an emphasis on condensed and visually slow movements. Some of the general characteristics of Butoh performance include "a particular openness to working with the subtle energy in the body; the malleability of time; the power of the grotesque."
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Truter, Orlando Vincent
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Hijikata, Tatsumi, 1928-1986 , Butō , Modern dance -- Japan , Dancers -- Japan , Choreographers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2153 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004454
- Description: From Introduction: Ankoku Butoh is a performing art devised in Japan in the wake of the Second World War by the dancer and choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata (born Akita, 1928; died Tokyo, 1986). A highly aesthetic and subversive performing art, Butoh often evokes "images of decay, of fear and desperation, images of eroticism, ecstasy and stillness." Typically performed with a white layer of paint covering the entire body of the dancer, Butoh is visually characterized by continual transformations between postures, distorted physical and facial expressions, and an emphasis on condensed and visually slow movements. Some of the general characteristics of Butoh performance include "a particular openness to working with the subtle energy in the body; the malleability of time; the power of the grotesque."
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
An action learning based reflection on participative drama as a tool for transformation of identity in the spirals programme
- Authors: Edlmann, Tessa Margaret
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Spirals Trust (South Africa) , Drama in education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Participatory theater -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Active learning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2159 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008202
- Description: This thesis is a reflection on both the conceptual frameworks and the personal narratives that have shaped the development of the Spirals Programme. The Programme is a participatory drama and creative arts based initiative established in 2000 in Grahamstown, South Africa, to explore issues of identity in the emerging democratic context of South African society - and support both personal and contextual processes of transformation. Working within a poststructuralist and social constructionist paradigm, Spirals works with groups and communities to facilitate and enable experiential links between the drama based and performative nature of identity construction - and the possibilities for transformation and healing provided by participative drama methodologies. The structure of the thesis follows the principles of the Freirian based Action Learning praxis within which Spirals works. It begins with an account of the contextual dynamics and events that gave rise to the development of the Programme, followed by a reflection on the conceptual frameworks regarding both identity construction and participative drama methodologies that informed Spirals' development. These paradigms are then analysed in relation to the articulated experiences of three workshop participants using critical discourse analysis. The thesis concludes with an assessment of the issues emerging from this analysis - the aspects of the Programme that need to be strengthened and sustained, those that need to be changed and possible new strategies that could be developed. , Also known as: Edlmann, Theresa
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Edlmann, Tessa Margaret
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Spirals Trust (South Africa) , Drama in education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Participatory theater -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Active learning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2159 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008202
- Description: This thesis is a reflection on both the conceptual frameworks and the personal narratives that have shaped the development of the Spirals Programme. The Programme is a participatory drama and creative arts based initiative established in 2000 in Grahamstown, South Africa, to explore issues of identity in the emerging democratic context of South African society - and support both personal and contextual processes of transformation. Working within a poststructuralist and social constructionist paradigm, Spirals works with groups and communities to facilitate and enable experiential links between the drama based and performative nature of identity construction - and the possibilities for transformation and healing provided by participative drama methodologies. The structure of the thesis follows the principles of the Freirian based Action Learning praxis within which Spirals works. It begins with an account of the contextual dynamics and events that gave rise to the development of the Programme, followed by a reflection on the conceptual frameworks regarding both identity construction and participative drama methodologies that informed Spirals' development. These paradigms are then analysed in relation to the articulated experiences of three workshop participants using critical discourse analysis. The thesis concludes with an assessment of the issues emerging from this analysis - the aspects of the Programme that need to be strengthened and sustained, those that need to be changed and possible new strategies that could be developed. , Also known as: Edlmann, Theresa
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Gazing at horror: body performance in the wake of mass social trauma
- Authors: Tang, Cheong Wai Acty
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abramovic, Marina Performance art -- South Africa Drama -- Psychological aspects Psychic trauma Performance art -- Psychological aspects Loss (Psychology) Ritual in art Art, Modern -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002381
- Description: This thesis explores various dilemmas in making theatre performances in the context of social disruption, trauma and death. Diverse discourses are drawn in to consider issues of body, subjectivity and spectatorship, refracted through the writer’s experiences of and discontent with making theatre. Written in a fractal-like structure, rather than a linear progression, this thesis unsettles discourses of truth, thus simultaneously intervening in debates about the epistemologies of the body and of theatre in context of the academy. Chapter 1: Methodological Anxieties Psychoanalytic theory provides a way in for investigating the dynamics of theatrical performance and its corporeal presence, by focusing on desire and its implication in the notions of loss and anxiety. The theories of the unconscious and the gaze have epistemological implications, shifting definitions of “presence” and “truth” in theatre performance and writing about theatre. This chapter tries to outline the rationale for, as well as to enact, an alternative methodology for writing, as an ethical response to loss that does not insist on consensus and truth. Chapter 2: (Refusing to) Look at Trauma This chapter examines the politics that strives to make suffering visible. Discursive binaries of public/private, dead/living, and invisible/visible underlie the politics of AIDS and sexuality. These discourses impact on the reception of Bill T. Jones's choreography, despite his use of modernist artistic processes in search of a bodily presence that aims to collapse the binary of representation (text) and its subject (being). The theory of the gaze shows this politics to be a phallocentric discourse; and narrative analysis traces the metanarrative that results in the commodification of oppositional identities, so that spectators participate in the politics as consumers. An ethical artistic response thus needs to shift its focus to the subjectivity of the spectator. Chapter 3: The Screen and the Viewer’s Blindness By appealing to a transcendent reality, and by constituting spectators as a participative community, ritual theatre claims to enact change. The “truth” of ritual rests not on rational knowledge, but on the performer’s competence to produce a shamanic presence, which director Brett Bailey embraces in his early work. Ritual presence operates by identification and belonging to a father/god as the source of meaning; but it represses the loss of this originary wholeness. Spectators of ritual theatre are drawn into an enactment of communion/community, the centre of which is, however, loss/emptiness. The claim of enacting change becomes problematic for its absence of truth. Bailey attempts to perform a hybrid, postcolonial aesthetics; but the problem rests in the larger context of performing the notion of “South Africa”, a communal identity hardened around the metanarrative of suffering, abjecting those that do not belong to the land of the father/god – foreigners that unsettle the meaning of South African identity. Conclusion: Bodies of Discontent The South African stage is circumscribed by political and economic discourses; the problematization of national identity is also a problematization of image-identification in the theatre. In search for a way to unsettle these interrogative discourses, two moments of performing foreignness are examined, one fictional, one theatrical. These moments enact a parallel to the feminine hysteric, who disturbs the phallocentric truth of the psychoanalyst through body performance. These moments of disturbing spectatorship are reflected in the works of performance artist Marina Abramovic. Her explorations into passive-aggression, shamanism and finally theatricality and the morality of spectatorship allow for an overview of the issues raised in this thesis regarding body, viewing, and subjecthood. Sensitivity to the body and its discontent on the part of the viewer becomes crucial to ethical performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Tang, Cheong Wai Acty
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abramovic, Marina Performance art -- South Africa Drama -- Psychological aspects Psychic trauma Performance art -- Psychological aspects Loss (Psychology) Ritual in art Art, Modern -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002381
- Description: This thesis explores various dilemmas in making theatre performances in the context of social disruption, trauma and death. Diverse discourses are drawn in to consider issues of body, subjectivity and spectatorship, refracted through the writer’s experiences of and discontent with making theatre. Written in a fractal-like structure, rather than a linear progression, this thesis unsettles discourses of truth, thus simultaneously intervening in debates about the epistemologies of the body and of theatre in context of the academy. Chapter 1: Methodological Anxieties Psychoanalytic theory provides a way in for investigating the dynamics of theatrical performance and its corporeal presence, by focusing on desire and its implication in the notions of loss and anxiety. The theories of the unconscious and the gaze have epistemological implications, shifting definitions of “presence” and “truth” in theatre performance and writing about theatre. This chapter tries to outline the rationale for, as well as to enact, an alternative methodology for writing, as an ethical response to loss that does not insist on consensus and truth. Chapter 2: (Refusing to) Look at Trauma This chapter examines the politics that strives to make suffering visible. Discursive binaries of public/private, dead/living, and invisible/visible underlie the politics of AIDS and sexuality. These discourses impact on the reception of Bill T. Jones's choreography, despite his use of modernist artistic processes in search of a bodily presence that aims to collapse the binary of representation (text) and its subject (being). The theory of the gaze shows this politics to be a phallocentric discourse; and narrative analysis traces the metanarrative that results in the commodification of oppositional identities, so that spectators participate in the politics as consumers. An ethical artistic response thus needs to shift its focus to the subjectivity of the spectator. Chapter 3: The Screen and the Viewer’s Blindness By appealing to a transcendent reality, and by constituting spectators as a participative community, ritual theatre claims to enact change. The “truth” of ritual rests not on rational knowledge, but on the performer’s competence to produce a shamanic presence, which director Brett Bailey embraces in his early work. Ritual presence operates by identification and belonging to a father/god as the source of meaning; but it represses the loss of this originary wholeness. Spectators of ritual theatre are drawn into an enactment of communion/community, the centre of which is, however, loss/emptiness. The claim of enacting change becomes problematic for its absence of truth. Bailey attempts to perform a hybrid, postcolonial aesthetics; but the problem rests in the larger context of performing the notion of “South Africa”, a communal identity hardened around the metanarrative of suffering, abjecting those that do not belong to the land of the father/god – foreigners that unsettle the meaning of South African identity. Conclusion: Bodies of Discontent The South African stage is circumscribed by political and economic discourses; the problematization of national identity is also a problematization of image-identification in the theatre. In search for a way to unsettle these interrogative discourses, two moments of performing foreignness are examined, one fictional, one theatrical. These moments enact a parallel to the feminine hysteric, who disturbs the phallocentric truth of the psychoanalyst through body performance. These moments of disturbing spectatorship are reflected in the works of performance artist Marina Abramovic. Her explorations into passive-aggression, shamanism and finally theatricality and the morality of spectatorship allow for an overview of the issues raised in this thesis regarding body, viewing, and subjecthood. Sensitivity to the body and its discontent on the part of the viewer becomes crucial to ethical performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
An object relational psychoanalysis of selected Tennessee Williams play texts
- Authors: Tosio, Paul
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983 Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983 -- Knowledge -- Psychology Object relations (Psychoanalysis) Psychoanalysis Drama -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2150 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002382
- Description: Tennessee Williams is a playwright of great psychological depth. This thesis probes some of the complexities of his work through the use of Object Relational Psychoanalysis, specifically employing the theories of Melanie Klein, W.R.D. Fairbairn and Donald Winnicott. The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and The Night of The Iguana are analysed from this theoretical stance. All of these plays display great perceptiveness into the human condition, accurately portraying many psychological relational themes. Certain Object Relational themes become very apparent in these analyses. These themes include, Dependency (especially in The Glass Menagerie), Reparation (particularly in A Streetcar Named Desire), Falsehood (notably in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Idealisation (evident in The Night of The Iguana), Honest Empathetic Relations (apparent in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Night of The Iguana) as well as Guilt, Object Loss, Sexual Guilt, and Obligation (recurring throughout these plays). It is advanced that Williams’ plays posses an honest and insightful understanding of human relations and, as such, are of contemporary value. This Thesis is not only an academic study, but also has practical applications for dramatists. With an increased understanding of the intrinsic tensions and motivations within such plays, offered by such psychoanalytic strategy, performance and staging of such work may be enhanced valuably.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Tosio, Paul
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983 Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983 -- Knowledge -- Psychology Object relations (Psychoanalysis) Psychoanalysis Drama -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2150 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002382
- Description: Tennessee Williams is a playwright of great psychological depth. This thesis probes some of the complexities of his work through the use of Object Relational Psychoanalysis, specifically employing the theories of Melanie Klein, W.R.D. Fairbairn and Donald Winnicott. The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and The Night of The Iguana are analysed from this theoretical stance. All of these plays display great perceptiveness into the human condition, accurately portraying many psychological relational themes. Certain Object Relational themes become very apparent in these analyses. These themes include, Dependency (especially in The Glass Menagerie), Reparation (particularly in A Streetcar Named Desire), Falsehood (notably in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Idealisation (evident in The Night of The Iguana), Honest Empathetic Relations (apparent in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Night of The Iguana) as well as Guilt, Object Loss, Sexual Guilt, and Obligation (recurring throughout these plays). It is advanced that Williams’ plays posses an honest and insightful understanding of human relations and, as such, are of contemporary value. This Thesis is not only an academic study, but also has practical applications for dramatists. With an increased understanding of the intrinsic tensions and motivations within such plays, offered by such psychoanalytic strategy, performance and staging of such work may be enhanced valuably.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Stepping into history : biography as approaches to contemporary South African choreography with specific reference to Bessie's Head (2000) and Miss Thandi (2002)
- Snyman, Johannes Hendrik Bailey
- Authors: Snyman, Johannes Hendrik Bailey
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Head, Bessie, 1937-1986 , Maqoma, Gregory -- Miss Thandi , Derrida, Jacques -- Criticism and interpretation , Biography , Choreography -- South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004678
- Description: This mini-thesis is located in historical discursive practices, choreographing history, biography as a source for making dance in South Africa and choreographic transformations in South African choreography since the 1994 democratic elections. Derridian concepts of deconstruction will be referenced in an attempt to focus the argument of this research, which comments on choreographic transformations since 1994, by subverting the influence of the 'violent hierarchies' enforced by the apartheid regime on South African cultural life and choreographic identity. The researcher draws on these considerations in order to explore the hybrid nature of South African choreography that has emerged since 1994. Chapter one examines the fallacious nature of historical discourse through a consideration and application of Derrida's notions of deconstruction and fabrication. Chapter two explores the notion of choreographing history in theatre through a focus on the objective/subjective fallacy and the history of the body as a textual medium. Chapter three focuses the study specifically in biography as a discourse within the idea of theatre. This approach to biography can be encapsulated by the phrase 'telling lives'. This chapter also explores the relationship between the traditional binaries of writing as a purely cerebral act and choreography as a purely visceral experience. Chapter four brings the focus to the specific post-apartheid South African context. This chapter considers the hybrid forms of dance emerging in South Africa as well as the notion of protest in relation to theatre and dance. The final chapter is an investigation and analysis of two choreographic works created by South African choreographers since 1994 in relation to biography and concepts of deconstruction. These works are Gary Gordon's Bessie's Head (2000) and Gregory Maqoma's Miss Thandi (2002). The focus of the analysis also reveals the inherent difficulty in objective interpretation, and considers the problematics of collaboration and autobiography when choreographing within a biographical context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Snyman, Johannes Hendrik Bailey
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Head, Bessie, 1937-1986 , Maqoma, Gregory -- Miss Thandi , Derrida, Jacques -- Criticism and interpretation , Biography , Choreography -- South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004678
- Description: This mini-thesis is located in historical discursive practices, choreographing history, biography as a source for making dance in South Africa and choreographic transformations in South African choreography since the 1994 democratic elections. Derridian concepts of deconstruction will be referenced in an attempt to focus the argument of this research, which comments on choreographic transformations since 1994, by subverting the influence of the 'violent hierarchies' enforced by the apartheid regime on South African cultural life and choreographic identity. The researcher draws on these considerations in order to explore the hybrid nature of South African choreography that has emerged since 1994. Chapter one examines the fallacious nature of historical discourse through a consideration and application of Derrida's notions of deconstruction and fabrication. Chapter two explores the notion of choreographing history in theatre through a focus on the objective/subjective fallacy and the history of the body as a textual medium. Chapter three focuses the study specifically in biography as a discourse within the idea of theatre. This approach to biography can be encapsulated by the phrase 'telling lives'. This chapter also explores the relationship between the traditional binaries of writing as a purely cerebral act and choreography as a purely visceral experience. Chapter four brings the focus to the specific post-apartheid South African context. This chapter considers the hybrid forms of dance emerging in South Africa as well as the notion of protest in relation to theatre and dance. The final chapter is an investigation and analysis of two choreographic works created by South African choreographers since 1994 in relation to biography and concepts of deconstruction. These works are Gary Gordon's Bessie's Head (2000) and Gregory Maqoma's Miss Thandi (2002). The focus of the analysis also reveals the inherent difficulty in objective interpretation, and considers the problematics of collaboration and autobiography when choreographing within a biographical context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Theatre and science, with specific reference to Shelagh Stephenson's An experiment with an air pump (1999)
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Dion
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Science in literature , Stephenson, Shelagh -- Experiment with an air pump
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2152 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004270
- Description: Science has featured intermittently as the subject of theatrical texts since Thomas Shadwell first represented the Renaissance scientist in The Virtuoso (1676). The late twentieth century, however, saw an incremental growth in theatre's interest in scientific exploration, a growth concommitant with the vast impact that science has had on technology, warfare and the machinations of political power. The tensions generated by the disjuncture between the rationality of science and the unpredictability of human society have provided a rich source of material for theatrical investigation into the human experience. The purpose of this thesis is twofold: to reveal some of the thematic concerns that emerge in this genre, and to examine the interplay between theatre and science. Shelagh Stephenson's An Experiment with an Air Pump (1999) provides a useful point of focus for this inquiry. By parallelling two time periods, exposing the scientific objectification of women and, in addition, opening up contemporary ethics for negotiation with the audience, Stephenson calls into question the objectivity and certainty of history, gender and ethical conduct. These she presents as dynamic and evolving fields of discourse that contribute to, but do not solely constitute, knowledge and understanding of the world. An Experiment with an Air Pump also displays an awareness, through its metatheatricality, of theatre itself as an imaginative, subjective discourse which parallels the more intuitive and personal aspects of scientific exploration. The play functions as a microscope, bringing into focus a contemporary world in which traditional systems of understanding and knowledge need to be reassessed and reinvented.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Dion
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Science in literature , Stephenson, Shelagh -- Experiment with an air pump
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2152 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004270
- Description: Science has featured intermittently as the subject of theatrical texts since Thomas Shadwell first represented the Renaissance scientist in The Virtuoso (1676). The late twentieth century, however, saw an incremental growth in theatre's interest in scientific exploration, a growth concommitant with the vast impact that science has had on technology, warfare and the machinations of political power. The tensions generated by the disjuncture between the rationality of science and the unpredictability of human society have provided a rich source of material for theatrical investigation into the human experience. The purpose of this thesis is twofold: to reveal some of the thematic concerns that emerge in this genre, and to examine the interplay between theatre and science. Shelagh Stephenson's An Experiment with an Air Pump (1999) provides a useful point of focus for this inquiry. By parallelling two time periods, exposing the scientific objectification of women and, in addition, opening up contemporary ethics for negotiation with the audience, Stephenson calls into question the objectivity and certainty of history, gender and ethical conduct. These she presents as dynamic and evolving fields of discourse that contribute to, but do not solely constitute, knowledge and understanding of the world. An Experiment with an Air Pump also displays an awareness, through its metatheatricality, of theatre itself as an imaginative, subjective discourse which parallels the more intuitive and personal aspects of scientific exploration. The play functions as a microscope, bringing into focus a contemporary world in which traditional systems of understanding and knowledge need to be reassessed and reinvented.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
Towards the performer-creator in contemporary mime, with specific reference to the physical theatre of Andrew Buckland, 1988-2000
- Authors: Murray, Robert Ian
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Buckland, Andrew , Mime , Mimes -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007720
- Description: Part one of this thesis investigates the conceptualisation of the performer-creator and its relevance in late twentieth century physical performance by examining some of the theoretical, but mainly artistic, traditions that suggest a movement towards this. Chapter one tackles the question of definition, linking mime within a wider physical theatre phenomenon. Chapter two looks at the importance of mime training for contemporary performance. This requires a focus on selected theatre practitioners who have significantly advanced the development of mime training and performance during the twentieth century. Chapter three examines the issue of silence in mime and questions a potential liberation of the word and language in contemporary performance and consequently how this affects the role of the performer, particularly in South Africa. Chapter four investigates the figure of the theatrical clown and how this late twentieth century development is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary performance. Chapter five then wraps up part one by pulling the preceding chapters together and thereby providing a working conceptualisation of the performer-creator, locating it within an overall appreciation of contemporary mime. Part two then tests the notion of the performer-creator by focussing on a case study through the investigation of Andrew Buckland to develop this idea. Andrew Buckland, and his work under the ethos of Mouthpeace from 1988-2000, provides a clear and unique example of this movement in contemporary South African performance. Trained as an actor and in classical illusion-based mime technique, as well as many dance forms such as ballet, contemporary and jazz, he has virtually single-handedly created and shaped a particular performance trend that is in line with contemporary international trends but retains a distinctive South African flavour. There is no space to attempt a definitive or exhaustive examination of his works, and nor is the intent to do so; rather, the aim is to draw from his work their essences that reveal his development as an artist: as both a creator and a performer.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Murray, Robert Ian
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Buckland, Andrew , Mime , Mimes -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007720
- Description: Part one of this thesis investigates the conceptualisation of the performer-creator and its relevance in late twentieth century physical performance by examining some of the theoretical, but mainly artistic, traditions that suggest a movement towards this. Chapter one tackles the question of definition, linking mime within a wider physical theatre phenomenon. Chapter two looks at the importance of mime training for contemporary performance. This requires a focus on selected theatre practitioners who have significantly advanced the development of mime training and performance during the twentieth century. Chapter three examines the issue of silence in mime and questions a potential liberation of the word and language in contemporary performance and consequently how this affects the role of the performer, particularly in South Africa. Chapter four investigates the figure of the theatrical clown and how this late twentieth century development is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary performance. Chapter five then wraps up part one by pulling the preceding chapters together and thereby providing a working conceptualisation of the performer-creator, locating it within an overall appreciation of contemporary mime. Part two then tests the notion of the performer-creator by focussing on a case study through the investigation of Andrew Buckland to develop this idea. Andrew Buckland, and his work under the ethos of Mouthpeace from 1988-2000, provides a clear and unique example of this movement in contemporary South African performance. Trained as an actor and in classical illusion-based mime technique, as well as many dance forms such as ballet, contemporary and jazz, he has virtually single-handedly created and shaped a particular performance trend that is in line with contemporary international trends but retains a distinctive South African flavour. There is no space to attempt a definitive or exhaustive examination of his works, and nor is the intent to do so; rather, the aim is to draw from his work their essences that reveal his development as an artist: as both a creator and a performer.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
Workshop theatre in post-apartheid South Africa : a case study
- Authors: Copteros, Athina
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Theater -- South Africa , Theater -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2156 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007477
- Description: This is a qualitative study exploring the use of workshop theatre in post-apartheid South Africa, with the objective of making a contribution to the knowledge-base regarding its use in current times. Workshop theatre is changing in response to a new socio-political reality and emerging trends in theatre practice. The case study, of developing a play on Oystercatchers with a Grahamstown group of artists, revealed the difficulties and challenges of using workshop theatre in this dynamic context. Data collection included a focus group, observation, reflective discussion and in-depth interviews that were analysed in relation to available literature on workshop theatre in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. It is proposed that workshop theatre has continued relevance in post -apartheid South Africa. The process of creating workshop theatre with diverse artists has great potential to transform relationships, address issues of personal identity and to provide an underlying purpose to a workshop theatre -making context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Copteros, Athina
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Theater -- South Africa , Theater -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2156 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007477
- Description: This is a qualitative study exploring the use of workshop theatre in post-apartheid South Africa, with the objective of making a contribution to the knowledge-base regarding its use in current times. Workshop theatre is changing in response to a new socio-political reality and emerging trends in theatre practice. The case study, of developing a play on Oystercatchers with a Grahamstown group of artists, revealed the difficulties and challenges of using workshop theatre in this dynamic context. Data collection included a focus group, observation, reflective discussion and in-depth interviews that were analysed in relation to available literature on workshop theatre in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. It is proposed that workshop theatre has continued relevance in post -apartheid South Africa. The process of creating workshop theatre with diverse artists has great potential to transform relationships, address issues of personal identity and to provide an underlying purpose to a workshop theatre -making context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
Nyau masquerade performance : shifting the imperial gaze
- Authors: Guhrs, Tamara
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Masquerades -- Malawi , Masquerades -- Zambia , Malawi -- Religion , Zambia -- Religion , Masks, Chewa , Chewa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Nyanja (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Secret societies -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2140 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002372 , Masquerades -- Malawi , Masquerades -- Zambia , Malawi -- Religion , Zambia -- Religion , Masks, Chewa , Chewa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Nyanja (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Secret societies -- Africa
- Description: Nyau Masquerades have been studied by missionaries, anthropologists and religious specialists, but have seldom been documented by theatre and performance specialists. This dissertation argues for the acceptance of Ny au performance as a contemporary world theatre form rooted in tradition. Charting the uneasy relationship between the Nyau and those who have sought to record their performances, the author delineates a vivid dramaturgy of this art form. In doing so, the boundaries of what define theatre as it has traditionally been understood in dominant discourses are made more fluid. Nyau performances have been affected by Colonial processes in varied ways. They were banned by the former government of Northern Rhodesia and severely censored by Catholic Mission teachings in the former Nyasaland. Other forms of vilification have been more subtle. Information about performance in Africa has often been collected and arranged in ways which limit the understanding of these genres. Images of Africa which cluster around the notion of the 'Primitive Other' have enabled a representation of Ny au masking as a superstitious and outdated practice with no relevance for contemporary Africa. This work calls for a new examination of the Nyau, through the lens of local discourse as well as contemporary global understandings of performance. Chapter One examines the issue of primitivism and the ways in which Africa has historically been posited as the exotic Other to Europe. Chapter Two examines the Nyau ih terms of specific dramaturgical elements, adjusting previous misconceptions surrounding the theatr~ forms of Chewa and Nyanja people. Chapter Three is devoted to a discussion of space in ritual theatre and Nyau performance, while Chapter Four explores masking and questions of transformation and liminality. In conclusion, it is seen that the use of the mask is a metaphor for the suspension of rigid boundaries separating subject/object, self/other, ritual/theatre, a suspension which needs to take place before an enriched understanding of performance in Africa can be reached.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Guhrs, Tamara
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Masquerades -- Malawi , Masquerades -- Zambia , Malawi -- Religion , Zambia -- Religion , Masks, Chewa , Chewa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Nyanja (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Secret societies -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2140 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002372 , Masquerades -- Malawi , Masquerades -- Zambia , Malawi -- Religion , Zambia -- Religion , Masks, Chewa , Chewa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Nyanja (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Secret societies -- Africa
- Description: Nyau Masquerades have been studied by missionaries, anthropologists and religious specialists, but have seldom been documented by theatre and performance specialists. This dissertation argues for the acceptance of Ny au performance as a contemporary world theatre form rooted in tradition. Charting the uneasy relationship between the Nyau and those who have sought to record their performances, the author delineates a vivid dramaturgy of this art form. In doing so, the boundaries of what define theatre as it has traditionally been understood in dominant discourses are made more fluid. Nyau performances have been affected by Colonial processes in varied ways. They were banned by the former government of Northern Rhodesia and severely censored by Catholic Mission teachings in the former Nyasaland. Other forms of vilification have been more subtle. Information about performance in Africa has often been collected and arranged in ways which limit the understanding of these genres. Images of Africa which cluster around the notion of the 'Primitive Other' have enabled a representation of Ny au masking as a superstitious and outdated practice with no relevance for contemporary Africa. This work calls for a new examination of the Nyau, through the lens of local discourse as well as contemporary global understandings of performance. Chapter One examines the issue of primitivism and the ways in which Africa has historically been posited as the exotic Other to Europe. Chapter Two examines the Nyau ih terms of specific dramaturgical elements, adjusting previous misconceptions surrounding the theatr~ forms of Chewa and Nyanja people. Chapter Three is devoted to a discussion of space in ritual theatre and Nyau performance, while Chapter Four explores masking and questions of transformation and liminality. In conclusion, it is seen that the use of the mask is a metaphor for the suspension of rigid boundaries separating subject/object, self/other, ritual/theatre, a suspension which needs to take place before an enriched understanding of performance in Africa can be reached.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
Theatre voice as metaphor : the advocacy of a praxis based on the centrality of voice to performance
- Authors: Mills, Elizabeth
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Voice , Voice culture , Acting
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2141 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002373 , Voice , Voice culture , Acting
- Description: This study proposes a view of theatre voice as central to performance. It proposes a shift in paradigm through the foregrounding of the function of theatre voice as one of the creative strands of the theatre matrix. The function of theatre voice becomes a theatrical function. Theatre is created in the voice and, therefore, any act of theatre should include conscious questions about the meanings that are, or can be evoked through the voice in theatre. A second thrust to this study is that theatre voice practice should be included in, and theatre voice practitioners should actively engage in, broader debates about theatre. Introduction: The idea that the voice in performance is the enactment of conscious theatrical choices is set up through the notion of the theatrical use of the voice. The introduction outlines the kinds of performance contexts in which a theatrical use of the voice takes shape. This includes an assessment of the degree to which the specific South African context of the writer is useful to questions about a theatrical use of the voice. The concepts which are central to such a view of theatre voice are expanded. These are: the theatrical agency of the actor, theatre voice, the theatrical use of the voice and praxis. Selected examples from local and other productions are offered to illustrate a range of interpretive possibilities open to the voice when considered, in the first instance, as performance. Chapter one: The actor’s relationship with voice is explored through the notion of actor agency. Historically, actors were theatrically empowered by a closer involvement with playwriting, staging, apprenticeship forms of actor training and theatre management. It is argued that the emergence of the director as a new theatrical agent has diminished this actor agency. On the other hand, the introduction of a realist acting methodology has given the actor autonomy of craft, empowering the actor in unprecedented ways. The theatrical agency of actors, directors and theatre voice practitioners is explored as influencing the status and the perception of theatre voice within theatre. The proposal of the centrality of voice to performance is dependent on the agency of actors, directors and theatre voice practitioners. Chapter two: It is argued that an Aristotelian Poetics of Voice has, under the influence of realism, developed into a “Poetics of the Self”. The paradigmatic shift proposed through a view of the voice as central to theatre, is explored through a post realist, intertextuality of voice. This includes a re-consideration of the contemporary theatre voice notion of the “natural” voice. Chapter three: Cicely Berry’s work, with particular reference to The Actor and his Text (1987), is analysed in terms of realism and the theatrical use of the voice. A second focus in the analysis of Berry’s work supports the argument that voice practitioners theorise positions for theatre voice even though their texts are practical and technically orientated. Berry’s work is singled out here because the contemporary practice of the Central School tradition is the generic tradition of South African English theatre voice practice. Chapter four: Strategies and constructs are proposed in support of the centrality of voice to the theatre. Ways of realising a theatrical use of the voice are also suggested. This is based on a shift in the way in which practitioners think about theatre voice. In the first instance, it is suggested that practitioners move beyond positions of polarity and actively embrace that which is contradictory in theatre and theatre voice practice. Secondly, a traditional hermeneutic understanding of the interpretation of voice is challenged. Thirdly, the use of metaphor which is pertinent to actors, directors and voice practitioners is explored as a means to vocal action. Concrete examples of the creative use of the voice, are provided through the sonic texts of Performance Writing. By way of conclusion, some ideas are offered about the issue of empowering the actor in a theatrical use of the voice. This study is intended to contribute to a theoretical and practical debate which will promote the argument for the centrality of voice to performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
Theatre voice as metaphor : the advocacy of a praxis based on the centrality of voice to performance
- Authors: Mills, Elizabeth
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Voice , Voice culture , Acting
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2141 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002373 , Voice , Voice culture , Acting
- Description: This study proposes a view of theatre voice as central to performance. It proposes a shift in paradigm through the foregrounding of the function of theatre voice as one of the creative strands of the theatre matrix. The function of theatre voice becomes a theatrical function. Theatre is created in the voice and, therefore, any act of theatre should include conscious questions about the meanings that are, or can be evoked through the voice in theatre. A second thrust to this study is that theatre voice practice should be included in, and theatre voice practitioners should actively engage in, broader debates about theatre. Introduction: The idea that the voice in performance is the enactment of conscious theatrical choices is set up through the notion of the theatrical use of the voice. The introduction outlines the kinds of performance contexts in which a theatrical use of the voice takes shape. This includes an assessment of the degree to which the specific South African context of the writer is useful to questions about a theatrical use of the voice. The concepts which are central to such a view of theatre voice are expanded. These are: the theatrical agency of the actor, theatre voice, the theatrical use of the voice and praxis. Selected examples from local and other productions are offered to illustrate a range of interpretive possibilities open to the voice when considered, in the first instance, as performance. Chapter one: The actor’s relationship with voice is explored through the notion of actor agency. Historically, actors were theatrically empowered by a closer involvement with playwriting, staging, apprenticeship forms of actor training and theatre management. It is argued that the emergence of the director as a new theatrical agent has diminished this actor agency. On the other hand, the introduction of a realist acting methodology has given the actor autonomy of craft, empowering the actor in unprecedented ways. The theatrical agency of actors, directors and theatre voice practitioners is explored as influencing the status and the perception of theatre voice within theatre. The proposal of the centrality of voice to performance is dependent on the agency of actors, directors and theatre voice practitioners. Chapter two: It is argued that an Aristotelian Poetics of Voice has, under the influence of realism, developed into a “Poetics of the Self”. The paradigmatic shift proposed through a view of the voice as central to theatre, is explored through a post realist, intertextuality of voice. This includes a re-consideration of the contemporary theatre voice notion of the “natural” voice. Chapter three: Cicely Berry’s work, with particular reference to The Actor and his Text (1987), is analysed in terms of realism and the theatrical use of the voice. A second focus in the analysis of Berry’s work supports the argument that voice practitioners theorise positions for theatre voice even though their texts are practical and technically orientated. Berry’s work is singled out here because the contemporary practice of the Central School tradition is the generic tradition of South African English theatre voice practice. Chapter four: Strategies and constructs are proposed in support of the centrality of voice to the theatre. Ways of realising a theatrical use of the voice are also suggested. This is based on a shift in the way in which practitioners think about theatre voice. In the first instance, it is suggested that practitioners move beyond positions of polarity and actively embrace that which is contradictory in theatre and theatre voice practice. Secondly, a traditional hermeneutic understanding of the interpretation of voice is challenged. Thirdly, the use of metaphor which is pertinent to actors, directors and voice practitioners is explored as a means to vocal action. Concrete examples of the creative use of the voice, are provided through the sonic texts of Performance Writing. By way of conclusion, some ideas are offered about the issue of empowering the actor in a theatrical use of the voice. This study is intended to contribute to a theoretical and practical debate which will promote the argument for the centrality of voice to performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
Towards a semiotic approach to dramatic texts for the purposes of staging as expounded in the analysis of an early Pinter play: The Dumb Waiter
- Authors: Thomas, Jeswinne Mary
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193203 , vital:45309
- Description: The aim of this thesis is to promote the dramatological approach, as opposed to a literary critical one, for the analysis of dramatic texts for the purposes of staging. The reason for such a promotion is that the dramatological approach upholds the integrity of the text in interpretation for the performance text by its detailed and semiotic analysis. The focus of such an approach is on the analysis of discourse, that is a micro-proairetic approach (illuminating the extralinguistic action and interaction gained from speech events and deixis), rather than a macro-proairetic approach (that is, plot and story-line) which a literary critical approach would take into consideration. In Chapter one the focus is on the justification for the dramatological approach as well as a review of prominent literary criticism to the playwright’s work (used as an example of dramatic text in this thesis). Rather than the promotion of ordinary literary theory in relation to the need for a performance methodology, explanation for their negation is offered here. Chapter two focuses on the actual methodology of the dramatological approach. In section one of this chapter, we find that basic to dramatological methodology is the linguistic function appropriate to the dramatic: that is the semantic, rhetorical and pragmatic principles of dramatic dialogue. In addition, we find that it is a formal and systematic approach which imposes restrictions on dualisms thereby upholding the integrity of the text. Moreover, that it focuses on the “performative-deictic” character (that is extralinguistic, kinesic and indexical orientations) of the dramatic text - analysis of which is crucial for the purposes of staging. In this way, the analysis of the interpersonal, interactional and contextual areas of dramatic texts is promoted. Thus section one offers an overview of the analytical criteria appropriate to such investigation in order to illuminate dramatic discourse. Section two offers a guide to the application of the methodology, utilizing an extraction of text. Central to the application is the formation of a preliminary analytical ‘grid’ from the range of criteria discussed in section one; that is, how these may be put together. A micro-segmentation of text is utilized to illustrate the application of the methodology. Chapter three offers an application of the methodology to a whole text, that is The Dumb Waiter. The results and benefits for the theatre practitioner of such application are directly illustrated in the deictic (that is section one) and proairetic (that is section two) segmentations of the text since what the text and discourse signify is illustrated in a detailed manner as opposed to paraphrase. That is, the interpersonal, contextual and interactional levels of the drama are defined. From this, typologies of discourse, character and interrelationships are drawn, as well as a creation of the dramatic world (that is section three) constructed as a result of the discourse, interrelationships and dramatic action. Finally the Conclusion offers an evaluation of the dramatological approach by applying it to a practical situation for the theatre practitioner (that is, director or actor). , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Drama, 1999
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
- Authors: Thomas, Jeswinne Mary
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193203 , vital:45309
- Description: The aim of this thesis is to promote the dramatological approach, as opposed to a literary critical one, for the analysis of dramatic texts for the purposes of staging. The reason for such a promotion is that the dramatological approach upholds the integrity of the text in interpretation for the performance text by its detailed and semiotic analysis. The focus of such an approach is on the analysis of discourse, that is a micro-proairetic approach (illuminating the extralinguistic action and interaction gained from speech events and deixis), rather than a macro-proairetic approach (that is, plot and story-line) which a literary critical approach would take into consideration. In Chapter one the focus is on the justification for the dramatological approach as well as a review of prominent literary criticism to the playwright’s work (used as an example of dramatic text in this thesis). Rather than the promotion of ordinary literary theory in relation to the need for a performance methodology, explanation for their negation is offered here. Chapter two focuses on the actual methodology of the dramatological approach. In section one of this chapter, we find that basic to dramatological methodology is the linguistic function appropriate to the dramatic: that is the semantic, rhetorical and pragmatic principles of dramatic dialogue. In addition, we find that it is a formal and systematic approach which imposes restrictions on dualisms thereby upholding the integrity of the text. Moreover, that it focuses on the “performative-deictic” character (that is extralinguistic, kinesic and indexical orientations) of the dramatic text - analysis of which is crucial for the purposes of staging. In this way, the analysis of the interpersonal, interactional and contextual areas of dramatic texts is promoted. Thus section one offers an overview of the analytical criteria appropriate to such investigation in order to illuminate dramatic discourse. Section two offers a guide to the application of the methodology, utilizing an extraction of text. Central to the application is the formation of a preliminary analytical ‘grid’ from the range of criteria discussed in section one; that is, how these may be put together. A micro-segmentation of text is utilized to illustrate the application of the methodology. Chapter three offers an application of the methodology to a whole text, that is The Dumb Waiter. The results and benefits for the theatre practitioner of such application are directly illustrated in the deictic (that is section one) and proairetic (that is section two) segmentations of the text since what the text and discourse signify is illustrated in a detailed manner as opposed to paraphrase. That is, the interpersonal, contextual and interactional levels of the drama are defined. From this, typologies of discourse, character and interrelationships are drawn, as well as a creation of the dramatic world (that is section three) constructed as a result of the discourse, interrelationships and dramatic action. Finally the Conclusion offers an evaluation of the dramatological approach by applying it to a practical situation for the theatre practitioner (that is, director or actor). , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Drama, 1999
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
Identity and transformation within the Playhouse Dance Company, 1993-1997
- Ballantyne, Tammy Marguerite
- Authors: Ballantyne, Tammy Marguerite
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Playhouse dance company , Dance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2131 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002363 , Playhouse dance company , Dance -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis examines the principles and policies underlying the need for transformation within the Playhouse Dance Company (PDC) in Durban and the actualities of implementing these visions and procedures. It is proposed that artistic structures, ideals and processes cannot remain impervious to the climate of change. Alterations in the political arena demand radical permutations within arts councils and their concept of repertoire, educational programmes and training. Transformation is linked to the problem of identity and it is suggested that the company is in the midst of a journey towards "becoming" rather than "being". Chapter One comprises an overview of changing trends in the arts globally and the impact on South Mrican art forms and processes. There is also an examination of the past, the establishment of arts councils and the colonial heritage of the dance companies within these councils. The formative years of the NAP AC Dance Company and the strategies formulated by former artistic directors have, it is suggested, hampered the transformation process. Chapter Two focuses on the PDC's endeavours to transform between the years 1993 and 1997. Lack of funding, conservative public tastes and training processes are. all' issues confronting management, choreographers, educators and performers in attempting to provide a clear direction towards transformation. The company walk a tightrope as they struggle to balance the heritage of their artistic past while giving birth to a new heritage for the future. Chapter Three discusses two areas that reveal measurable attempts at transformation. Hawkins offers re-inventions of the classics which encourages innovation, and Siwela Sonke was conceived to draw on dance forms located in Kwazulu-Natal in the search for a South Mrican dance aesthetic. Chapter Four investigates whether transformative visions are becoming a reality and suggests how the company could extend the process further. This chapter concludes with .. ideas about the nature of culture and how this informs,the exercise of transformation. This thesis proposes that transformation within the PDC is occurring even though it has its shortcomings. The main thrust of the research is to investigate, identifY and document factors that are contributing to current dance trends in Durban.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Ballantyne, Tammy Marguerite
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Playhouse dance company , Dance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2131 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002363 , Playhouse dance company , Dance -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis examines the principles and policies underlying the need for transformation within the Playhouse Dance Company (PDC) in Durban and the actualities of implementing these visions and procedures. It is proposed that artistic structures, ideals and processes cannot remain impervious to the climate of change. Alterations in the political arena demand radical permutations within arts councils and their concept of repertoire, educational programmes and training. Transformation is linked to the problem of identity and it is suggested that the company is in the midst of a journey towards "becoming" rather than "being". Chapter One comprises an overview of changing trends in the arts globally and the impact on South Mrican art forms and processes. There is also an examination of the past, the establishment of arts councils and the colonial heritage of the dance companies within these councils. The formative years of the NAP AC Dance Company and the strategies formulated by former artistic directors have, it is suggested, hampered the transformation process. Chapter Two focuses on the PDC's endeavours to transform between the years 1993 and 1997. Lack of funding, conservative public tastes and training processes are. all' issues confronting management, choreographers, educators and performers in attempting to provide a clear direction towards transformation. The company walk a tightrope as they struggle to balance the heritage of their artistic past while giving birth to a new heritage for the future. Chapter Three discusses two areas that reveal measurable attempts at transformation. Hawkins offers re-inventions of the classics which encourages innovation, and Siwela Sonke was conceived to draw on dance forms located in Kwazulu-Natal in the search for a South Mrican dance aesthetic. Chapter Four investigates whether transformative visions are becoming a reality and suggests how the company could extend the process further. This chapter concludes with .. ideas about the nature of culture and how this informs,the exercise of transformation. This thesis proposes that transformation within the PDC is occurring even though it has its shortcomings. The main thrust of the research is to investigate, identifY and document factors that are contributing to current dance trends in Durban.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
In search of the culture of links : the use of myth and ritual in the work of Peter Brook
- Authors: Du Plessis, Tanya Lenore
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Brook, Peter -- Criticism and interpretation , Myth in literature , Mahābhārata -- Adaptations , Ritual in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2136 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002368 , Brook, Peter -- Criticism and interpretation , Myth in literature , Mahābhārata -- Adaptations , Ritual in literature
- Description: This thesis examines the use of elements of myth and ritual in the work of Peter Brook, focusing primarily on The Mahabharata ( 1986 ). The argument proposes that Brook uses myth and ritual as an integral part of his search for the culture of links .. This thesis examines the precise functioning of myth and ritual in Brook's theatre, and places his work in relation to the concepts of interculturalism and postmodernism. In so doing, The Mahabharata is seen as a valid and important step in Brook's search for the culture of links. Chapter One formulates broad-based concepts of myth and ritual, and examines their function in society and culture, as well as their role in theatre. Chapter Two offers a brief discussion of the use of elements of myth and ritual in Brook's productions, beginning with King Lear (1962), and ending with 0rghast (1971). The discussion illustrates the multiple functions which myth and ritual serve in Brook's work. Chapter Three examines the trend of interculturalism, placing Brook's work within this franlework. Attention is given to the moral and political issues implicit in interculturalism. The chapter highlights the need for intercultural theatre to be evaluated in terms of artistic criteria, rather than on anthropological or political grounds. Finally, there is a discussion of the work of other intercultural theatre practitioners. Chapter Four examines Brook's Mahabharata. A detailed discussion of the authenticity and visual presentation of Brook's interpretation shows how Brook mediates between the Indian epic and a Western audience An examination of the critical response offers insights into the dangers of insensitive cross-cultural contact.. Chapter Five offers a critical summary of the argument. Brook's search for the culture of links has led him to use elements of myths and rituals of non-Western cultures. In so doing, Brook seeks to bring their living quality to his work, and to forge links between the peoples and cultures of the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Du Plessis, Tanya Lenore
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Brook, Peter -- Criticism and interpretation , Myth in literature , Mahābhārata -- Adaptations , Ritual in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2136 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002368 , Brook, Peter -- Criticism and interpretation , Myth in literature , Mahābhārata -- Adaptations , Ritual in literature
- Description: This thesis examines the use of elements of myth and ritual in the work of Peter Brook, focusing primarily on The Mahabharata ( 1986 ). The argument proposes that Brook uses myth and ritual as an integral part of his search for the culture of links .. This thesis examines the precise functioning of myth and ritual in Brook's theatre, and places his work in relation to the concepts of interculturalism and postmodernism. In so doing, The Mahabharata is seen as a valid and important step in Brook's search for the culture of links. Chapter One formulates broad-based concepts of myth and ritual, and examines their function in society and culture, as well as their role in theatre. Chapter Two offers a brief discussion of the use of elements of myth and ritual in Brook's productions, beginning with King Lear (1962), and ending with 0rghast (1971). The discussion illustrates the multiple functions which myth and ritual serve in Brook's work. Chapter Three examines the trend of interculturalism, placing Brook's work within this franlework. Attention is given to the moral and political issues implicit in interculturalism. The chapter highlights the need for intercultural theatre to be evaluated in terms of artistic criteria, rather than on anthropological or political grounds. Finally, there is a discussion of the work of other intercultural theatre practitioners. Chapter Four examines Brook's Mahabharata. A detailed discussion of the authenticity and visual presentation of Brook's interpretation shows how Brook mediates between the Indian epic and a Western audience An examination of the critical response offers insights into the dangers of insensitive cross-cultural contact.. Chapter Five offers a critical summary of the argument. Brook's search for the culture of links has led him to use elements of myths and rituals of non-Western cultures. In so doing, Brook seeks to bring their living quality to his work, and to forge links between the peoples and cultures of the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
The Dance Factory, Newtown, Johannesburg a site of resistance
- Authors: Ginslov, Jeannette
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Dance factory , Dance -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2139 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002371 , Dance factory , Dance -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Description: This mini thesis proposes that the Dance Factory in Ne'Ntown, Johannesburg, is a site of resistance. Its source and motivation are the personal, artistic and socio-poIiticaI sites ofresistance to mainstream forms of dance with nationalistic tendencies and to dominant ideological hegemonies that enforced apartheid or nationalism. Therefore, these sites or resistance are examined prior to and after the democratisation of South African culture. An analysis of the dances choreographed in this period of transition and changing hegemonies reveal shifts of resistance. These are traced within the development of the Dance Factory. Chapter one explores the notion of resistance as a form of power and the notion of site, where the operations of power evoke resistance. Three sites of resistance within South African dance culture are identified and examined. These are the Dance Factory, the artistic site of dance and the site of the dancing body. The chapter reveals the development of these sites in a changed culture and notes a re-orientation of resistance within dance, namely Afro-fusion, and the subsequent development and emergence of 'alternative' sites of resistance. These reveal new expressionistic tendencies, body politics and the feminist strategies of 'new poetics' and 'ecriture feminine'. The codified mainstream forms of dance, subject to nationalistic strategies of dassicism and its inherent Iogocentricity are challenged and destabilised by the emergence of these altemative resistant forms of dance. Chapter two examines the artistic policies of the Nationalist Govemment, the African National Congress and the Dance Factory from 1983-1997. It notes the effects of the changes in the artistic policies on sites of resistance in dance, performed at the Dance Factory. The chapter desaibes the development of the Dance Factory, its policies of diversification as a strategy of resistance, its promotion of praxis, its resistance to nationalism and the ramifications thereof. It also explores the effects of a governmentalisation of culture and the role of the organic intellectual within the Dance Factory. An analysis of the alternative dance work 'Torso-Tongue" in chapter three furthers the argument that the Dance Factory maintains and encourages the changing sites of resistance in dance. This analysis demonstrates the resistant aspects of dance as discussed in chapter one and thereby confirms the aims and missions of the Dance Factory. The thesis examines the role of the Dance Factory as it develops, nurtures and responds to the shifts in resistance and changes in culture and dance. Most importantly the thesis exposes the resistance to and the effects of an imposition of a nationalistic ideology on dance. The resultant resistance to this form of domination is explored in dance within the site of the Dance Factory, thus supporting the premise that the Dance Factory is a site of resistance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Ginslov, Jeannette
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Dance factory , Dance -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2139 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002371 , Dance factory , Dance -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Description: This mini thesis proposes that the Dance Factory in Ne'Ntown, Johannesburg, is a site of resistance. Its source and motivation are the personal, artistic and socio-poIiticaI sites ofresistance to mainstream forms of dance with nationalistic tendencies and to dominant ideological hegemonies that enforced apartheid or nationalism. Therefore, these sites or resistance are examined prior to and after the democratisation of South African culture. An analysis of the dances choreographed in this period of transition and changing hegemonies reveal shifts of resistance. These are traced within the development of the Dance Factory. Chapter one explores the notion of resistance as a form of power and the notion of site, where the operations of power evoke resistance. Three sites of resistance within South African dance culture are identified and examined. These are the Dance Factory, the artistic site of dance and the site of the dancing body. The chapter reveals the development of these sites in a changed culture and notes a re-orientation of resistance within dance, namely Afro-fusion, and the subsequent development and emergence of 'alternative' sites of resistance. These reveal new expressionistic tendencies, body politics and the feminist strategies of 'new poetics' and 'ecriture feminine'. The codified mainstream forms of dance, subject to nationalistic strategies of dassicism and its inherent Iogocentricity are challenged and destabilised by the emergence of these altemative resistant forms of dance. Chapter two examines the artistic policies of the Nationalist Govemment, the African National Congress and the Dance Factory from 1983-1997. It notes the effects of the changes in the artistic policies on sites of resistance in dance, performed at the Dance Factory. The chapter desaibes the development of the Dance Factory, its policies of diversification as a strategy of resistance, its promotion of praxis, its resistance to nationalism and the ramifications thereof. It also explores the effects of a governmentalisation of culture and the role of the organic intellectual within the Dance Factory. An analysis of the alternative dance work 'Torso-Tongue" in chapter three furthers the argument that the Dance Factory maintains and encourages the changing sites of resistance in dance. This analysis demonstrates the resistant aspects of dance as discussed in chapter one and thereby confirms the aims and missions of the Dance Factory. The thesis examines the role of the Dance Factory as it develops, nurtures and responds to the shifts in resistance and changes in culture and dance. Most importantly the thesis exposes the resistance to and the effects of an imposition of a nationalistic ideology on dance. The resultant resistance to this form of domination is explored in dance within the site of the Dance Factory, thus supporting the premise that the Dance Factory is a site of resistance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
The notion of commitment in selected works of Maishe Maponya
- Authors: Moorosi, Mabitle
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Maponya, Maishe , Commitment (Psychology) in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2142 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002374 , Maponya, Maishe , Commitment (Psychology) in literature
- Description: This study is a critical analysis of selected works of the playwright Maishe Maponya namely, The Hungry Earth, Jika and Gangsters. The main thrust of the analysis of the thesis is centred on questions around what 'Commitment' might mean in literature and drama. This concept has appeared in many names and guises. In theatre, it has assumed names like Theatre of Commitment, Theatre of the Dispossessed, Theatre ofthe Oppressed, Theatre of Resistance, as well as Theatre of Radicalization (Bentley 1968; Boal 1974; Mda 1985; Maponya 1992). These names came into existence as a result of a concerted effort to refrain from the use of the traditional conventional theatre, which does not appear to address itself to societal problems - the preoccupation of Theatre of Commitment. Chapter One is principally concerned with the concept of Commitment and its implications in art and literature, more specifically in theatre. Further, the following interacting elements in South African theatre are highlighted: censorship, banning, detention and other restrictions, as well as DET education and religious institutions. Finally, Maponya is introduced, with his political inclinations and his views on art, together with the issue of theatricality in his plays. Chapter two initiates the proposed critical analysis with a focus on The Hungry Earth. The focus is on Theatre of Commitment and the background events that inspired Maponya's response. Chapter three concerns itself with the critical analysis of Jika, "a play about the making of revolutionaries in South Africa ... and serves a political purpose - as a recording of pivotal moment in South African history ... " (Haysom, 1988: 1). An attempt is made to assess the extent to which the playwright has succeeded or failed to strike a chord harmonious with the pronouncements quoted. Chapter four ends the critical analysis with the treatment of Gangsters. Here an observation is made on the fusing of the three personas, namely Rasechaba, Biko and Maponya, into one symbolic whole representing the image of Jesus Christ on the cross - the Saviour who sacrificed His life for the salvation of sinners. Maponya is seen to have sacrificed his time and energy for the liberation of the downtrodden. The conclusion summarizes the study by placing the selected works in their suitable perspective in respect of the notion of Commitment in literature, with particular reference to theatre. Maponya is seen to have played a commendable role in the liberation of his peoples' minds by teaching them the business of organizing revolutions, as well as by championing the liberation struggle.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Moorosi, Mabitle
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Maponya, Maishe , Commitment (Psychology) in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2142 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002374 , Maponya, Maishe , Commitment (Psychology) in literature
- Description: This study is a critical analysis of selected works of the playwright Maishe Maponya namely, The Hungry Earth, Jika and Gangsters. The main thrust of the analysis of the thesis is centred on questions around what 'Commitment' might mean in literature and drama. This concept has appeared in many names and guises. In theatre, it has assumed names like Theatre of Commitment, Theatre of the Dispossessed, Theatre ofthe Oppressed, Theatre of Resistance, as well as Theatre of Radicalization (Bentley 1968; Boal 1974; Mda 1985; Maponya 1992). These names came into existence as a result of a concerted effort to refrain from the use of the traditional conventional theatre, which does not appear to address itself to societal problems - the preoccupation of Theatre of Commitment. Chapter One is principally concerned with the concept of Commitment and its implications in art and literature, more specifically in theatre. Further, the following interacting elements in South African theatre are highlighted: censorship, banning, detention and other restrictions, as well as DET education and religious institutions. Finally, Maponya is introduced, with his political inclinations and his views on art, together with the issue of theatricality in his plays. Chapter two initiates the proposed critical analysis with a focus on The Hungry Earth. The focus is on Theatre of Commitment and the background events that inspired Maponya's response. Chapter three concerns itself with the critical analysis of Jika, "a play about the making of revolutionaries in South Africa ... and serves a political purpose - as a recording of pivotal moment in South African history ... " (Haysom, 1988: 1). An attempt is made to assess the extent to which the playwright has succeeded or failed to strike a chord harmonious with the pronouncements quoted. Chapter four ends the critical analysis with the treatment of Gangsters. Here an observation is made on the fusing of the three personas, namely Rasechaba, Biko and Maponya, into one symbolic whole representing the image of Jesus Christ on the cross - the Saviour who sacrificed His life for the salvation of sinners. Maponya is seen to have sacrificed his time and energy for the liberation of the downtrodden. The conclusion summarizes the study by placing the selected works in their suitable perspective in respect of the notion of Commitment in literature, with particular reference to theatre. Maponya is seen to have played a commendable role in the liberation of his peoples' minds by teaching them the business of organizing revolutions, as well as by championing the liberation struggle.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
Boyzie Cekwana the South African dancing body in transition
- Authors: Pienaar, Samantha
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Cekwana, Ntsikelelo , Dance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002376 , Cekwana, Ntsikelelo , Dance -- South Africa
- Description: Boyzie Cekwana is one of many black male dancers and choreographers that is currently receiving widespread support and recognition for his contribution to the field of contemporary dance in South Africa. Why certain images of the dancing body - as presented by this individual dance practitioner - are currently being promoted as artistically more viable than others by dance critics and the media is the central concern of this thesis. An analysis of the dancing body in contemporary South Africa must take into account the current post-apartheid condition, a condition of transformation and reconstruction that allows people greater freedom to select the country's leaders, popularize its heroes and heroines, market and capitalize on images and icons of a New South Africa. By opting to look specifically at a black male dancer, social appreciations of the body in terms of ethnicity and gender can be challenged. This latter area of research - the role of gender in the production, presentation and appreciation of the dancing body - is largely unchallenged in South Africa. Yet, if South African's want to truly rid themselves of the shackles of hegemonic rule, gender-construction is an area of social experience that needs intensive confrontation. Chapter one will suggest some of the obstacles that might limit the South African dance researcher seeking an indepth analysis of the black dancing body, taking into consideration the country's history of elitist and autonomous rule. Attention will be drawn to multidisciplinary sites of information that might assist the researcher in such an excavation. The context of the research, however, is less interested in historical descriptions of the dancing body than with current motivating factors behind the preferential promotion of certain images over others in contemporary dance. Personal interviews and observations will therefore also provide crucial resource material. In chapter two, a case study of Boyzie Cekwana will be made looking at his personal background and the way in which it may have informed his contemporary experiences as a black male dancer and choreographer. The underlying belief of such a case-study approach is that "it carries implications about the extents to which the resulting analysis is applicable to other similar cases" ¹. This individual analysis includes information gathered from persona1 interviews with Cekwana; the author's own observations and experiences of Cekwana' s work at the Vita FNB Dance Umbrella, the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, and the Durban Playhouse Theatre; and analyses of articles on Cekwana by journalists, and performance reviews by dance and theatre critics such as Adrienne Sichel (The Star Tonight!), Tommy Ballantyne (The Natal Sunday Tribune) and David Coleman (The Mercury). Further examinations in chapter three and four will assess to what degree Cekwana re-presents culture-specific images of gender-modelling in his own performing body and the bodies of his multi-racial and multi-gendered dancers in selected dances. To prevent placing sole responsibility at Cekwana' s feet for the representation of the dancing body to a society in transformation, the role of dance critics and mass mediators in this process of artistic communication will also be dealt with. It is hoped that the ensuing discussion will suggest the possible effects that present frameworks of aesthetic appreciation may hold for choreographers and dancers in the country's future cultural development; this involves confronting a still controversial issue in South Africa the relationship between dance and politics, choreographer and social responsibility. The thesis will round-off very briefly with suggestions to dance practitioners and educators in South Africa of alternative ways of perceiving and appreciating the dancing body based on gender, and· not just racial, constructions; this is especially invaluable in the light of current efforts to include dance as a core-curriculum subject in all schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Pienaar, Samantha
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Cekwana, Ntsikelelo , Dance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002376 , Cekwana, Ntsikelelo , Dance -- South Africa
- Description: Boyzie Cekwana is one of many black male dancers and choreographers that is currently receiving widespread support and recognition for his contribution to the field of contemporary dance in South Africa. Why certain images of the dancing body - as presented by this individual dance practitioner - are currently being promoted as artistically more viable than others by dance critics and the media is the central concern of this thesis. An analysis of the dancing body in contemporary South Africa must take into account the current post-apartheid condition, a condition of transformation and reconstruction that allows people greater freedom to select the country's leaders, popularize its heroes and heroines, market and capitalize on images and icons of a New South Africa. By opting to look specifically at a black male dancer, social appreciations of the body in terms of ethnicity and gender can be challenged. This latter area of research - the role of gender in the production, presentation and appreciation of the dancing body - is largely unchallenged in South Africa. Yet, if South African's want to truly rid themselves of the shackles of hegemonic rule, gender-construction is an area of social experience that needs intensive confrontation. Chapter one will suggest some of the obstacles that might limit the South African dance researcher seeking an indepth analysis of the black dancing body, taking into consideration the country's history of elitist and autonomous rule. Attention will be drawn to multidisciplinary sites of information that might assist the researcher in such an excavation. The context of the research, however, is less interested in historical descriptions of the dancing body than with current motivating factors behind the preferential promotion of certain images over others in contemporary dance. Personal interviews and observations will therefore also provide crucial resource material. In chapter two, a case study of Boyzie Cekwana will be made looking at his personal background and the way in which it may have informed his contemporary experiences as a black male dancer and choreographer. The underlying belief of such a case-study approach is that "it carries implications about the extents to which the resulting analysis is applicable to other similar cases" ¹. This individual analysis includes information gathered from persona1 interviews with Cekwana; the author's own observations and experiences of Cekwana' s work at the Vita FNB Dance Umbrella, the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, and the Durban Playhouse Theatre; and analyses of articles on Cekwana by journalists, and performance reviews by dance and theatre critics such as Adrienne Sichel (The Star Tonight!), Tommy Ballantyne (The Natal Sunday Tribune) and David Coleman (The Mercury). Further examinations in chapter three and four will assess to what degree Cekwana re-presents culture-specific images of gender-modelling in his own performing body and the bodies of his multi-racial and multi-gendered dancers in selected dances. To prevent placing sole responsibility at Cekwana' s feet for the representation of the dancing body to a society in transformation, the role of dance critics and mass mediators in this process of artistic communication will also be dealt with. It is hoped that the ensuing discussion will suggest the possible effects that present frameworks of aesthetic appreciation may hold for choreographers and dancers in the country's future cultural development; this involves confronting a still controversial issue in South Africa the relationship between dance and politics, choreographer and social responsibility. The thesis will round-off very briefly with suggestions to dance practitioners and educators in South Africa of alternative ways of perceiving and appreciating the dancing body based on gender, and· not just racial, constructions; this is especially invaluable in the light of current efforts to include dance as a core-curriculum subject in all schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
Drama in South African secondary schools meeting the challenges of educational change
- Authors: Carklin, Michael Larry
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Drama in education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2133 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002365 , Drama in education -- South Africa
- Description: South Africa is undergoing fundamental transformation at all levels of government and civil society, requiring a firm commitment to redressing the legacy of apartheid and to the development of South Africa's people. Part of this commitment is to undertake research which complements transformation processes, investigating the most appropriate ways to meet the challenges posed by such change. This study examines the potential of drama in the secondary school to meet key educational challenges, motivating strongly for the inclusion of drama as part of the formal curriculum in all schools. Social transformation has been greatly influenced by policy such as the Reconstruction & Development Programme (RDP) and subsequent Government White Papers which identify the need to develop South Africa's human resources as crucial. It is in this light, arid in the context of great disparity that exists across the education spectrum, that learning experiences of high quality must be provided in schools. It is argued that drama, as an lift form and an educational medium, is able to provide such qualitatively sound learning experiences because it is essentially learner-centered, experiential and holistic, offering unique ways of knowing, understanding and gaining insights. However, the classroom drama experience needs careful conceptualisation itself, particularly in view of the fact that life experiences of pupils are characteriseg by multiplicity and diversity within a new era of social and cultural mixing, as well as increased global interaction through, for example, the mass media and the internet. This study thus argues from a post-structuralist perspective, which embraces notions of multiplicity, proposing a reconceptualisation of the classroom drama experience that challenges the oppositional or binary perspectives that have previously characterised the way we think about drama and education. Example~ include art versus utilitarianism; process versus product; drama versus theatre. Investigating the classroom drama experierice in the light of developments in postmodern theatre, this study proposes that classroom drama should be seen as a form of theatre itself and suggests the term theatricalisaction to describe this classroom-theatre process which is based on action, reflection, experience and creative expression. It becomes a theatre of activity or an activating theatre. In this light classroom drama is considered in a specifically South Mrican context. In particular, this study examines the ways in which the following contexts impact upon the drama experience: the education system, the place of the arts within that system, and cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. Drawing on policy documentation, conference proceedings and studies that have been carried out in multiculturalism and multilingualism, the specific educational challenges facing South Africans are identified. In further exploring the potential of drama to meeting these challenges, this study documents the results of surveys conducted with drama teachers and with ~students who have studied drama as one of their formal subjects, highlighting in particular their perceptions, perspectives and experiences regarding the aims and value of drama education. Finally, in light of the information gained from teachers and learners, and of the concepts and contexts investigated, this thesis considers the ways in which the drama experience can contribute to meeting three primary educational challenges: the building of a culture of learning; the development and empowerment of pupils; and the embracing of cultural and linguistic diversity. This study concludes that drama is able to contribute significantly to educational change because of the teaching and learning processes it offers as an art form, and in particular, a theatre form. It is such a participatory, democratic classroom-theatre which provides a teaching and learning approach that should be at the core of transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Carklin, Michael Larry
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Drama in education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2133 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002365 , Drama in education -- South Africa
- Description: South Africa is undergoing fundamental transformation at all levels of government and civil society, requiring a firm commitment to redressing the legacy of apartheid and to the development of South Africa's people. Part of this commitment is to undertake research which complements transformation processes, investigating the most appropriate ways to meet the challenges posed by such change. This study examines the potential of drama in the secondary school to meet key educational challenges, motivating strongly for the inclusion of drama as part of the formal curriculum in all schools. Social transformation has been greatly influenced by policy such as the Reconstruction & Development Programme (RDP) and subsequent Government White Papers which identify the need to develop South Africa's human resources as crucial. It is in this light, arid in the context of great disparity that exists across the education spectrum, that learning experiences of high quality must be provided in schools. It is argued that drama, as an lift form and an educational medium, is able to provide such qualitatively sound learning experiences because it is essentially learner-centered, experiential and holistic, offering unique ways of knowing, understanding and gaining insights. However, the classroom drama experience needs careful conceptualisation itself, particularly in view of the fact that life experiences of pupils are characteriseg by multiplicity and diversity within a new era of social and cultural mixing, as well as increased global interaction through, for example, the mass media and the internet. This study thus argues from a post-structuralist perspective, which embraces notions of multiplicity, proposing a reconceptualisation of the classroom drama experience that challenges the oppositional or binary perspectives that have previously characterised the way we think about drama and education. Example~ include art versus utilitarianism; process versus product; drama versus theatre. Investigating the classroom drama experierice in the light of developments in postmodern theatre, this study proposes that classroom drama should be seen as a form of theatre itself and suggests the term theatricalisaction to describe this classroom-theatre process which is based on action, reflection, experience and creative expression. It becomes a theatre of activity or an activating theatre. In this light classroom drama is considered in a specifically South Mrican context. In particular, this study examines the ways in which the following contexts impact upon the drama experience: the education system, the place of the arts within that system, and cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. Drawing on policy documentation, conference proceedings and studies that have been carried out in multiculturalism and multilingualism, the specific educational challenges facing South Africans are identified. In further exploring the potential of drama to meeting these challenges, this study documents the results of surveys conducted with drama teachers and with ~students who have studied drama as one of their formal subjects, highlighting in particular their perceptions, perspectives and experiences regarding the aims and value of drama education. Finally, in light of the information gained from teachers and learners, and of the concepts and contexts investigated, this thesis considers the ways in which the drama experience can contribute to meeting three primary educational challenges: the building of a culture of learning; the development and empowerment of pupils; and the embracing of cultural and linguistic diversity. This study concludes that drama is able to contribute significantly to educational change because of the teaching and learning processes it offers as an art form, and in particular, a theatre form. It is such a participatory, democratic classroom-theatre which provides a teaching and learning approach that should be at the core of transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
The politics and poetics of choreography the dancing body in South African dance
- Authors: Finestone, Juanita
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Dance -- South Africa , Gordon, Gary -- Unspeakable Story , Orlin, Robyn -- In A Corner The Sky Surrenders
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2138 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002370 , Dance -- South Africa , Gordon, Gary -- Unspeakable Story , Orlin, Robyn -- In A Corner The Sky Surrenders
- Description: This mini-thesis is situated in the discourse on patriarchy, nationhood and its artistic forms. It is argued that an uncritical pursuit of commonality as a political aesthetic strategy for dance in South Africa repeats the metaphysical foundationalism of this discourse. It is further suggested that a postmodern ethos subverts this heritage, while at the same time offering a viable alternative for accommodating and representing the cultural diversity and plurality characteristic of current theatre dance in South Africa. Chapter One examines the way dance has historically structured its patriarchal form the postmodern discourses Chapter Two as a site and practice through explores the potential of deconstruction and destabilisation of this dance heritage. This chapter also assesses the relevance of a postmodern alternative in a South African dance context. Chapter Three analyses the postmodern choreographic strategies of two South African choreographers, Gary Gordon and Robyn Orlin, in order to reveal how their dance vision to patriarchal aesthetic form and offers an uncritical alternative notions of commonality. In conclusion, it is argued postmodern ethos embodied in the work that the of these choreographers provides viable directions for formulating and articulating new dance directions for theatre dance in South Africa while, at the same time, bearing witness to the diversity that will always structure expressions of commonality in South African dance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
- Authors: Finestone, Juanita
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Dance -- South Africa , Gordon, Gary -- Unspeakable Story , Orlin, Robyn -- In A Corner The Sky Surrenders
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2138 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002370 , Dance -- South Africa , Gordon, Gary -- Unspeakable Story , Orlin, Robyn -- In A Corner The Sky Surrenders
- Description: This mini-thesis is situated in the discourse on patriarchy, nationhood and its artistic forms. It is argued that an uncritical pursuit of commonality as a political aesthetic strategy for dance in South Africa repeats the metaphysical foundationalism of this discourse. It is further suggested that a postmodern ethos subverts this heritage, while at the same time offering a viable alternative for accommodating and representing the cultural diversity and plurality characteristic of current theatre dance in South Africa. Chapter One examines the way dance has historically structured its patriarchal form the postmodern discourses Chapter Two as a site and practice through explores the potential of deconstruction and destabilisation of this dance heritage. This chapter also assesses the relevance of a postmodern alternative in a South African dance context. Chapter Three analyses the postmodern choreographic strategies of two South African choreographers, Gary Gordon and Robyn Orlin, in order to reveal how their dance vision to patriarchal aesthetic form and offers an uncritical alternative notions of commonality. In conclusion, it is argued postmodern ethos embodied in the work that the of these choreographers provides viable directions for formulating and articulating new dance directions for theatre dance in South Africa while, at the same time, bearing witness to the diversity that will always structure expressions of commonality in South African dance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
The representation of women in the plays of Sam Shepard
- Authors: Volks, Carolyn Dana
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2151 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002383 , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Description: In the endeavour to abolish from society all forms of ideologies that prescribe the domination of one sex over another, it has become increasingly important to analyse the representation of women in dramatic literature because dramatic literature reflects the philosophies and codes of behaviour which enable individuals to dominate one another in society, and assists in either reinforcing old ideologies or shaping new ones. Although Sam Shepard has been an influential force in the creation of modern drama, his plays reflect a patriarchal ideology that dictates that women are subordinate to men. Shepard's plays dramatise various male predicaments and his female characters are constructed and utilised to express men's experience, not women's. One of the conflicts which besets the male characters is that they desire to return to the womb of the mother, but simultaneously fear that their identities will be engulfed by the mother. In The Rock Garden, Red Cross and Fourteen Hundred Thousand, these desires and fears are demonstrated through the female characters, who are manipulated to represent objects of male desire and/or objects onto which devouring images are projected. Women are therefore represented in a manner in which they are best able to express the male characters' identity related conflicts. In Curse of the Starving Class and Buried Child, characters suffer from receiving insufficient nurture, are spiritually and emotionally impoverished or cursed and appear unable to transform their lives. The female characters are presented as being partly responsible for causing these predicaments since their nurturing, generative and transformative abilities are presented in a negative light. Women are also represented as objects of blame in the male characters' attempts and failures to undergo rebirths and are once again created to express male predicaments. In Fool for Love and A Lie of the Mind, Shepard focuses on the relationships between men and women, but is only able to present the male characters' perspectives and represent male desire. The female characters are regarded, and engaged with, as reflections of the male characters' selves and are frequently utilised to express male desire. If Shepard's plays are persistently applauded and seen as examples to be emulated, we need to closely analyse these dramas that represent women in a manner which expresses male predicaments and which places them in roles that allow men to dominate them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Volks, Carolyn Dana
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2151 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002383 , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Description: In the endeavour to abolish from society all forms of ideologies that prescribe the domination of one sex over another, it has become increasingly important to analyse the representation of women in dramatic literature because dramatic literature reflects the philosophies and codes of behaviour which enable individuals to dominate one another in society, and assists in either reinforcing old ideologies or shaping new ones. Although Sam Shepard has been an influential force in the creation of modern drama, his plays reflect a patriarchal ideology that dictates that women are subordinate to men. Shepard's plays dramatise various male predicaments and his female characters are constructed and utilised to express men's experience, not women's. One of the conflicts which besets the male characters is that they desire to return to the womb of the mother, but simultaneously fear that their identities will be engulfed by the mother. In The Rock Garden, Red Cross and Fourteen Hundred Thousand, these desires and fears are demonstrated through the female characters, who are manipulated to represent objects of male desire and/or objects onto which devouring images are projected. Women are therefore represented in a manner in which they are best able to express the male characters' identity related conflicts. In Curse of the Starving Class and Buried Child, characters suffer from receiving insufficient nurture, are spiritually and emotionally impoverished or cursed and appear unable to transform their lives. The female characters are presented as being partly responsible for causing these predicaments since their nurturing, generative and transformative abilities are presented in a negative light. Women are also represented as objects of blame in the male characters' attempts and failures to undergo rebirths and are once again created to express male predicaments. In Fool for Love and A Lie of the Mind, Shepard focuses on the relationships between men and women, but is only able to present the male characters' perspectives and represent male desire. The female characters are regarded, and engaged with, as reflections of the male characters' selves and are frequently utilised to express male desire. If Shepard's plays are persistently applauded and seen as examples to be emulated, we need to closely analyse these dramas that represent women in a manner which expresses male predicaments and which places them in roles that allow men to dominate them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994