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Investigating a Personalised Site-Specific Approach to Performance: Selected Origins, Possible Influences and Practical Implications

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Investigating a Personalised Site-Specific Approach to Performance: Selected Origins, Possible Influences and Practical Implications Investigating a personalised site-specific approach to performance: selected origins, possible influences and practical implications by Gabriella Simone Bishop Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Drama and Theatre Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Dr Mareli Hattingh Pretorius April 2014 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. March 2014 Copyright © 2014 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT Central to a site-specific approach to performance is the concern for the potential of unconventional spaces. Appearing in multiple mediums, there seems to be little clarity on the parameters of this approach and it appears to have become a flexible term under which a plethora of manifestations have begun to collect. The aim of this thesis is to investigate a personalised site-specific approach to performance in order to provide insight into the role of the director in this approach, as well as to identify possible characteristics that might differentiate a site-specific approach to performance from other outdoor performance genres. Selected visual arts movements of the 1960s and 1970s which contributed towards the gradual development of a site-specific approach are Dadaism, abstract expressionism, minimalism, performance art, happenings, and land art. Artists involved in these movements challenged the traditional idealisation of aesthetic art works by placing importance on the physical experience and creation of art works. Eventually involved artists abandoned the galleries all together, exploring the potential of unconventional spaces through installations and performances. Theatre practitioners such as Artaud, Grotowski, Schechner, Malina and Beck contributed, amongst other things, on the breaking down of the theatre space, removing the stage and seating in order for the performance to engulf the audience in the action. Site-based performance was influenced by the above mentioned practitioners. Possible categories collected under this umbrella term are site-sympathetic, site-adjusted, site-specific and site-generic. Practitioners currently exploring these individual approaches in the Western Cape are amongst others Samantha Prigge- Pienaar, Louise Coetzer and Nicola Hanekom. A practical investigation of a personalised site-specific approach to performance, led to the following conclusions. Firstly, a site-specific approach to creating a performance requires the director to step into the role of facilitator, making decisions in response to the site rather than controlling the site. Secondly, the term site-specific is not fixed, as it expands and develops with the unique needs of every site. Thirdly, it is restrictive to say that elements like music and/or props cannot be brought into the site; however this depends on the nature of the site. Fourthly, while a complete set of characteristics cannot be made absolute for a site- specific approach to performance two key features of this approach are the centrality of the site and the interactive relationships. Lastly, a site-specific approach to performance asks for a paradigm shift, whereby everything that is considered part of the traditional theatre should be reviewed. ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za OPSOMMING Die potensiaal van onkonvensionele ruimtes is sentraal tot ’n plek-spesifieke benadering tot performance. Daar blyk egter nie duidelikheid te wees oor die begrensing van hierdie benadering nie en dit lyk asof dit ’n buigsame term is waaronder ’n hele aantal moontlikehede kan voorkom. Hierdie tesis stel dit ten doel om ’n persoonlike plek-spesifieke benadering tot performance te ondersoek ten einde groter insig te verkry ten opsigte van die rol van die regisseur binne hierdie benadering, sowel as moontlike eienskappe te identifiseer wat hierdie benadering tot performance van ander buitelug performance genres onderskei. Gekose visuele kunste bewegings van die 1960s en 1970s wat bygedra het tot die geleidelike ontwikkeling van ’n plek-spesifieke benadering was Dadaïsme, abstrakte ekspressionisme, minimalisme, performance art, happenings en landskap kuns. Kunstenaars wat by hierdie bewegings betrokke was, het die tradisionele idealisering van estetiese kunswerke uitgedaag deur eerder klem te plaas op die skep van en die fisieke belewenis van kunswerke. Op die ou einde is daar wegbeweeg van gallerye en is die potensiaal van onkonvensionele ruimtes deur middel van instellasies en performances ondersoek. Teaterpraktisyns soos Artuad, Grotowski, Schechner, Malina en Beck het onder andere bygedra tot die herkonstruering van die teaterruimte, deur die skeidslyn tussen die verhoog en ouditorium weg te neem en die gehoor in die aksie te dompel. Plek-gebaseerde performance is onder deur bogenoemde praktisyns benvloed. Moontlike kategorieë wat by hierdie sambreelterm ingesluit word, is plek-simpatiek, plek-aangepas, plek-spesifiek en plek-generies. Praksityns wat tans van hierdie benaderings in die Wes-Kaap ondersoek sluit onder ander in Samantha Prigge-Pienaar, Louise Coetzer en Nicola Hanekom. ’n Praktiese ondersoek van ’n persoonlike plek-spesifieke benadering tot performance het tot die volgende gevolgtrekkings gelei. Eerstens vereis ’n plek-spesifieke benadering tot die skep van ’n performance dat die regisseur die rol van fasiliteerder moet vervul, wat besluite neem in antwoord en reaksie op die ruimte, eerder as iemand wat die ruimte probeer beheer. Die term plek-spesifiek is tweedens buigsaam deurdat dit na aanleiding van die unieke behoeftes van elke ruimte ontwikkel of uitgebrei word. Derdens is dit beperkend om van die veronderstelling uit te gaan dat elemente soos musiek en/of rekwisiete nie in die ruimte ingebring kan word nie, die aard van die ruimte sal dit bepaal. Vierdens, alhoewel daar nie ’n volledige stel eienskappe vasgestel kan word vir ’n plek-spesifieke benadering tot performance nie, is twee hoof kenmerke van hierdie benadering die sentraliteit van die ruimte en die interaktiewe verhoudings. Laastens vereis ’n plek-spesifieke benadering tot performance ’n paradigmaskuif, wat alle elemente wat deel uitmaak van die tradisionele teater in heroorweging neem. iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase – Martin Luther King, Jr. This has certainly been a journey, and it would not have been as enjoyable without a few key people. Mom, thank you for being my biggest supporter, staying home to bring me tea and snacks at 11am, for going to every Pep store in the Western Cape no matter how dodgy the location, for remaining in the front row for every performance and for loving me no matter what my demands and for staying up late listening to my rehearsal qualms. Dad, thank you for supporting my dream, for building me sets and for standing alongside Mom during this whirlwind journey of six years. To both of you, you have taught me drive and ambition and given me room to dream big. My brother, Davide. Bubbie, you have taught me how to be strong, to fight for what I believe in and to remain diligent in everything I set my mind too. Thank you for teaching me perseverance, and for tolerating my weird productions by telling me that you are proud. To my enormous Italian familia, thank you for persuading me that I can achieve this! For your smses, phone calls and audience participation, and being the best rent a crowed that any young director could hope for, I am truly blessed. Mandy Stone, Sarah Jab Ackerman, Crystal Hartwig and Kayleigh Moller who made sure that I came out of hiding for a daily cup of tea and cake! Your continual prayers, love and support made this journey so incredibly fun, and your friendship enabled me to finally reach this day of submission, thank you! Mareli Pretorius, my enthusiast, confidence booster and supervisor. Thank you for always being on my side, for tolerating my lengthy chapters and for always making sure that there is at least one smiley face in the track change notes. Working and learning from you has been a joy, and I was truly blessed to have you as my supervisor. My Glitch cast! What a roller-coaster of learning this experience was and how lucky I was to have the cast I did. I appreciate all the input that each of you had! For standing by me in the wind and rain and for letting the performance grows with every show. The end result was more than I could have ever imagined, but it was the six week process that stole my heart! What a privilege it was to work with you all. To my Heavenly Father, for never abandoning me, for giving me faith and for carrying me in the times that seemed the most lonely and most unsatisfying, thank you for the lessons I learnt out of this experience! For the friends I found and most importantly for teaching me that through you anything is possible! iv Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ABSTRACT OPSOMMING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter
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