Moving Towards Thought: Theatricality, Technology, and the Theatre by Courtney Lin Cauthon A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies University of Toronto© Copyright by Courtney Lin Cauthon, 2014 Moving Towards Thought: Theatricality, Technology and the Theatre Courtney Lin Cauthon Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies University of Toronto 2014 Abstract Inspired by the question of what forces us to think and employing the Deleuzian concepts of affect and the new, this thesis argues that the technologies used in theatre production construct an affective encounter from which new thinking may emerge. Moreover, this thesis maintains that a consideration of the affective encounter is a productive means of further understanding theatricality because the experience of theatricality is rooted in the affective encounter. This argument brings together theatricality and thinking through the experience of affect that is produced by the technologies used in performance. Technology becomes an integral element to this project because it is positioned as the disruptive element that incites the affective encounter from which theatricality and new thinking may emerge. This examination of the relationship between thought, technology, and theatricality is grounded by an analysis of theatre productions by The Builders Association, Troika Ranch, Toni Dove, and Marie Brassard. It is further structured by an evaluation of ways that technology shapes and reshapes understandings of space, presence and event; each of which are significant elements in our conceptualizations of theatricality. More specifically, the individual chapters consider how technologies used in performance produce disruptions that open spaces for thinking the new. This is done through an examination of the ways that screens articulate the disjuncture inherent to theatrical space; how vocal mediation challenges conceptions of presence as an originary site; and how the theatrical event is reconstituted by the use of technologies that ii place the spectator in the midst of a “happening” that intensifies and disrupts their common sensuous experience. The empirical material of performance is used in this thesis as a means of working through the larger philosophical concerns of the project including: questions of thought, the new, and the role that technology plays in the creation and experience of theatricality. Building upon established discourses of intermedial performance, theatricality, and affect, this thesis outlines an expression of the creative potential of spectatorship, and is ultimately invested in considering how active participation may move the spectator to think the new. iii To my sons, Grant Lawson and Everett Bryan “Learning to swim or learning a foreign language means composing the singular points of one’s own body or one’s own language with those of another shape or element, which tears us a part but also propels us into hitherto unknown and unheard-of world of problems. To what are we dedicated if not to those problems which demand the very transformation of our body and our language?” Gilles Deleuze, Difference and Repetition 192 May you jump whole-heartedly into the “hitherto unknown and unheard of world”. May it force you to think and fill you with joy. iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Tamara Trojanowska. Tamara’s enthusiasm, patience, careful reading, and insightful questions have been invaluable to the writing of this thesis. I must also express gratitude to the other members of my committee: Dr. Bruce Barton and Dr. T. Nikki Cesare Schotzko. Both Bruce and Nikki have been careful, thorough readers. They have provided thoughtful questions, useful suggestions, and continued encouragement. The expertise of my committee members has pushed me to think critically, attempt to write concisely, and explore broadly. I am ever thankful for the time, energy, and support that they have provided. I am indebted to Dr. Natalie Rewa and Annell Weissenbuehler. Natalie and Annell have, in different ways, sparked my desire to think deeply about performance. I thank Natalie for introducing me to performance theory and for presenting me with difficult questions early in my academic career. I thank Annell for fostering in me a love for the theatre and for providing me with my initial opportunities to explore the mechanics of the stage. Without the continued support of many people this project never would have come to completion. Special thanks must be given to my mom and dad, Susan Lawson and Roger Cauthon. Their encouragement to pursue the “hard questions” has helped me to stay the course. I am grateful to Drs. Linda and Gary Hauch for providing me with a quite place to write, wonderful food, good conversation, and for commiserating about the process of writing a dissertation. Thank you to Dr. Michelle MacArthur for being a supportive friend and collogue from the very beginning to the bitter end. I also must express my appreciation for the many people who have listened, conversed, and held me in their thoughts throughout this process—in particular: Lydia, Jairan, Maureen, Amy, and Paula. Above all, I express gratitude to, and for, Aaron Penner, my partner in life. Without his constant love and support I would not have been able to complete this project. He has graciously journeyed with me in this endeavor. He provided me space to explore, grounded me, and helped me stay focused on the larger picture. Words fail, as they always do, to express my gratitude and love. Finally, I must acknowledge the force of Gilles Deleuze—a force that continues to move me to thought, and fills me with joy. v Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 Thought, Theatricality, and the Production of the New ............................................................ 1 The Theatre’s Paradox and the Impetus for Thought ........................................................... 1 Utopia, Technology, and Affect ................................................................................................ 5 Theatricality/Performativity .................................................................................................... 9 Introducing the Selected Artists ............................................................................................. 12 Overview of This Thesis .......................................................................................................... 18 Final Thoughts ......................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................................................................... 27 Establishing a Path for Thinking or Methodological Considerations .................................... 27 The Question of Thought ........................................................................................................ 27 Theatricality’s Ambiguity ....................................................................................................... 34 Theatricality’s Relation to the Body and Technology .......................................................... 37 Doings with Deleuze: Contextualizing the Use of Deleuze in This Project ........................ 47 Navigating Deleuze’s Oeuvre: Textual Assemblages and Defining Concepts ................... 51 Repeating The Path Differently ............................................................................................. 61 CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................................... 66 Space, Screens, and the Eruption of Thought ........................................................................... 66 Happenings in the Slipperiness of the In-Between ............................................................... 66 Theorizing the Space of Performance: Materiality and the Imagination .......................... 69 The Actual and the Virtual ..................................................................................................... 74 The Screen: Moving Between ................................................................................................. 77 Screens on Stage: Builders Association ................................................................................. 81 Imagination: Between the Actual and the Virtual ................................................................ 88 Screens on Stage: Troika Ranch ............................................................................................ 90 The Outside: Screens, Folding, and Thinking ...................................................................... 97 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................... 105