View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Stellenbosch University SUNScholar Repository The attainment of personal catharsis through the realisation of the dislocation between the internal and external expressive forms of the self by Teresa Müller Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Drama and Theatre Studies at Stellenbosch University. Supervisor: Dr Petrus du Preez Department of Drama Co-Supervisor: Samantha Pienaar Department of Drama March 2010 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 owner of the copyright thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Signature:……………………………. Date:………………………………….. Copyright © 2010 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved 2 Abstract This study is aimed at establishing what personal catharsis is, specifically defining what it is and under what conditions it may occur. During the creation and execution of an autobiographical solo, I had gone through a process of attaining what has since been labelled personal catharsis and recognition of the other, which gave arise to me finding confidence and discovering my creative voice of identity. However, it was not known when or how these processes took place. In addition I was not certain exactly what personal catharsis was in the context of me and my identity. An investigate was also needed into the possibility of generalising personal catharsis as a process that could guide people towards gaining confidence and finding their creative voice of identity. In this thesis, the process of the creation of the autobiographical solo is deconstructed. In doing so the journey of the discovery of the other is highlighted and the role of recognition between the inner expressive form and the external expressive form. Through the means of a source study the concepts of behaviour and the other in reference to identity construction and performance of everyday self are discussed. Then personal catharsis is explored in comparison to the traditional use of the term. Using performance-based research methodologies in conjunction with a questionnaire, a 12-week series of workshops was held to explore the generalisation of personal catharsis and the issues that arose during the study. The workshops were aimed at investigating the possibility of creating a process to attain personal catharsis. It was found that personal catharsis is a subjective process that takes place through the recognition of the external expressive form. It is through this recognition that the dislocation of self can be reconnected and the other can become more transparent to the internal expressive form. This process is readily attained through the exploration of the character of self. However, although new behaviour can result from personal 3 catharsis, the individual needs to choose the internal expressive form as the dominant part in expressive behaviour. 4 Opsomming Die doel van hierdie studie is om te bepaal en te beskryf wat presies persoonlike katarsis is en hoe dit as proses verloop. Tydens die skepping en uitvoering van ʼn outobiografiese solo het ek die bereiking van persoonlike katarsis – soos ek dit sedertdien gedoop het – en herkenning van die ander beleef. Dit het daartoe gelei dat ek selfvertroue en die skeppende stem van my identiteit gevind het. Tog het ek nie besef wanneer of hoe hierdie prosesse plaasgevind het nie. Daarby was ek nie seker wat presies persoonlike katarsis in die konteks van my wese en identiteit was nie. Ek wou ook die moontlikheid ondersoek om persoonlike katarsis as proses te veralgemeen sodat dit mense daartoe kon lei om selfvertroue en die skeppende stem van hul identiteit te vind. In hierdie tesis dekonstrueer ek die skepping van die outobiografiese solo as proses. Daardeur werp ek lig op die ontdekkingsreis na die ander en die rol wat herkenning tussen die interne ekspressiewe vorm en die eksterne ekspressiewe vorm speel. Die begrippe gedrag en die ander in verhouding tot die konstruksie van identiteit en die uitvoering van die alledaagse self word deur middel van ʼn literatuurstudie bespreek. Daarná word persoonlike katarsis in vergelyking met die tradisionele gebruik van die term ondersoek. Tydens ʼn 12 weke lange werkswinkel is performance-gebaseerde navorsingsmetodologieë tesame met ʼn vraelys gebruik om die veralgemening van persoonlike katarsis en die kwessies wat tydens die studie na vore gekom het, te verken. Die werkswinkels was daarop gemik om die moontlikheid van die skepping van ʼn proses om persoonlike katarsis te bereik, te ondersoek. Daar is gevind dat persoonlike katarsis ʼn subjektiewe proses is wat deur middel van die herkenning van die eksterne ekspressiewe vorm plaasvind. Deur middel van hierdie herkenning kan die ontwrigting van die self herstel word en kan die ander deursigtiger 5 vir die interne ekspressiewe vorm word. Hierdie proses word maklik deur verkenning van die karakter van die self behaal. Alhoewel persoonlike katarsis nuwe gedrag tot gevolg kan hê, moet die individu egter die interne ekspressiewe vorm as die dominante deel in ekspressiewe gedrag kies. 6 Table of contents Chapter 1: Introduction 12 1.1 Introduction 12 1.2 Background 13 1.3 Research question and aims 16 1.4 Methodology 17 1.5 Chapter outline 20 1.6 Terminology 22 Chapter 2: The Construction of behaviour, identity, the other and personal catharsis within everyday performance 24 2.1 Introduction 24 2.2 The Construction of self performance and becoming the actor/spectator to discover behaviour 25 2.2.1 Placing performance 26 2.2.2 The actor/spectator of Jerzy Grotowski 31 2.2.2.1 Introduction 31 2.2.2.2 The poor theatre and poor self 33 2.2.2.3 The actor/spectator 35 2.2.2.4 Summary 37 7 2.2.3 Conclusion 38 2.3 The Construction of identity 38 2.3.1 Empiricism and Dualism: Introduction 39 2.3.2 Creation of the slate 40 2.3.2.1 Walking in your own shoes 41 2.3.2.2 Summary and conclusion 43 2.3.3 Dualism 44 2.3.3.1 The self and the other 45 2.3.3.2 Summary and conclusion 48 2.4 The other 48 2.4.1 The mystery of the other person theory of Emmanuel Levinas 49 2.4.1.1 Introduction 49 2.4.1.2 The Other/other 49 2.4.1.3 Summary and conclusion 53 2.4.2 “I” as autonomous- Judith Butler 53 2.4.2.1 Introduction 53 2.4.2.2 The self and the other 54 2.4.2.3 Recognition of the other and the self 55 2.4.2.4 Understanding the other through representation 57 2.4.2.5 Summary and conclusion 59 2.5 The Construction of catharsis 60 2.5.1 Introduction 60 2.5.2 Purgation or purification of Catharsis 61 8 2.5.3 Applications of catharsis within the dualism of the body and the mind 62 2.5.4 Catharsis outside of tragedy 67 2.5.5 Personal catharsis 68 2.5.6 Summary and conclusion 71 Chapter 3: “I only ever use half of my double bed, I know but a single bed is just too small.” The Personal Performance 73 3.1 Introduction 73 3.2 A personal narrative 73 3.3 Process and the importance of improvisation 77 3.3.1 Improvisation as a process of discovery 78 3.3.2 Material 81 3.3.3 Natural selection 84 3.3.4 Exercises 84 3.3.4.1 Phantom hand 85 3.3.4.2 Something under my bed 87 3.3.4.3 Walking towards the lounge 88 3.3.4.4 Sliding door 89 3.3.4.5 Breathing/ drinking/ smoking 90 3.3.4.6 Filling 91 3.3.4.7 Prayer 92 9 3.3.5 Execution 93 3.3.6 Showing 94 3.3.6.1 Catharsis issue 99 3.4 Analysis 100 3.5 Outcomes 101 3.6 Conclusion 102 Chapter 4: The exploration of the dislocation of self through improvisation and identification of personal catharsis 104 4.1 Introduction 104 4.2 Session structure 106 4.3 The location 109 4.4 Workshop participants 109 4.5 The original 12-week theme plan for the workshop 113 4.6 Workshop progression 119 4.7 Natural progression/ selection and problems 123 4.8 Exercises 126 4.9 Questionnaire 129 4.10 Catharsis issue 133 4.11 Execution 135 4.12 Results and conclusion 136 10 Chapter 5: Conclusion 139 5.1 Construction of Catharsis - a summary 139 5.2 The workshop - final analysis 141 5.3 Conclusion and possible further research 142 References 146 Addendum 155 11 Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction This thesis researches the performance of the everyday self as a dislocated and separate expression of the self by means of an autobiographical performance. Through the recognition of this dislocation, a state of catharsis that is specific to the individual is able to take place. The concept of self performance is discussed during the analysis of the creation of an autobiographical performance. Autobiographical performance, in conjunction with self performance, is not a concept that falls specifically under performance studies. As recognised by Richard Schechner (1973: 5) and others (Craig, 1996; Dunn, 1997; Hofstadter, 1999)1 , anthropological sciences - such as philosophy, psychology and linguistics - all relate to performance. This statement was confirmed through self-analysis and my experiences within the autobiographical performance. After the completion of this autobiographical performance, during which much use was made of philosophical and psychological theorising, personal catharsis was recognised.