Discipline-based political theatre solo performance "Acting Alone" - Artist-led research exploring boundaries of performer/audience relationships Item Type Presentation Authors Hunt, Ava Citation Hunt, A (2016) 'Disicpline-based Political Theatre Solo Performance "Acting Alone" - Artist-led Research Exploring Boundaries of Performer/Audience Relationships' [Presentation and performance]. Presenting the Theatrical Past, Stockholm University, 13-17 June. Publisher International Federation for Theatre Research Download date 07/10/2021 19:20:46 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10545/621717 Book of Abstracts Introduction Presenting the Theatrical Past. Interplays of Artefacts, Discourses and Practices Welcome to Stockholm at IFTR 2016! Departing from the 250th anniversary of Critical investigation of historiographical We are delighted that more than 900 the Drottningholm Court Theatre the IFTR issues in the field of Theatre Studies theatre scholars from all over the world conference 2016 focuses on critical touches upon the interplay between responded to our call for proposals and perspectives on theatre history. The theatre theatrical artefacts, practices and would like to welcome you all here at of the past is accessible to us via historical discourses. Such historical artefacts in Stockholm University. You are contributing objects, theoretical discourses and archive relation to theatre can be theatre to a rich program presenting historical and materials. But we can also experience it sites/venues, historical objects (props, historiographical research in the field of through performance practices that keep scenery, costumes), archival materials and theatre studies. We are hoping for inspiring traditions alive or engage in re-enactments documents, historical locations for re- and thought-provoking talks and of theatre events and representations. enactments, etc. Practices comprise discussions during the five days of the performances such as theatre, drama, conference and wish you a wonderful stay The conference “Presenting the Theatrical dance, opera, performance, installation art, in Stockholm. Past” addresses questions concerning our laboratory experiments, educational relationship to theatre history, i.e. the curricula etc. The notion of discourse Your Stockholm Organising Committee relation between present and past. How relates to historical ideas as well as and why do we deal with history? What do contemporary theories, questions of we do with history? To what extent is ‘historically informed productions’ (HIP) historical research an exploration of our and historiographical concepts, present? reconstructions of past performances etc. 1 Presenting the Theatrical Past, IFTR 2016, Book of Abstracts AASTHA GANDHI Independent Researcher [email protected] Aastha Gandhi is an independent performance researcher and an Odissi dancer. She is currently collaborating on a research project; “Gendered Reading the Performer and the Performative: Presence of Citizenship: Performance and Manifestation”, between School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru Multi-racial Bodies in Indian Circus University, India and School of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Warwick, U.K. She The research pertains to the escalating presence of international performers in researched on Odissi dance, its historiography, Indian entertainment industry, more specifically, in circus. At present the Indian practice and problems within the established tradition circus has an equal number of international performers as well as the last for her M.Phil (Theatre and Performance Studies) (2006- 2008) from SAA, Jawaharlal Nehru University, generation of Indian performers. The international performers comprise mainly New Delhi. Her published essays include: Emerging eastern European performers, Mongolians and Russian performers. From Africa choreographies: developing new pedagogies in dance however the performing group is exclusively male. The circus since its inception in (Contemporising the past: envisaging the future, the colonial period has always been a space for migrant and travelling 2015), Constructing and performing the Odissi body: ideologies, influences and interjections (Journal of performers. Yet in recent times with globalization making employment easier and Emerging Dance Scholars, 2013) and Who frames the the impact of neo-liberal policies and subsequent modification of labour laws, dance: writing and performing the trinity of Odissi there is a shift in perceiving the women performer through the lens of race and (Dance Dialogues: conversations across cultures, racial categories. Important in this context is presence of bodies in performance artforms and practices, 2009). She has presented and reading of these bodies. Through an analysis of performance I would argue research papers in International Foundation for Theatre Research Conference 2016 and Indian Society that there is another kind of exoticization of the white body, which, within a for Theatre Research Conference (2006-07 and 2007- colonial-post-colonial historiography is an important area of investigation. My 08). She is an active member of World Dance Alliance area of focus pertains to the performance of the ‘white’ body vis-à-vis Indian and has presented her research work in its Summits body, how the audience’s longing, desire and gaze reflect on to the presence of over the years (2008, 2014, and 2015). Her current area of research engages with laws, circus and multiple racial bodies presented in multiple contexts. How the mis-en-scene of discourses of performing body. She is currently circus played behind the curtains, where although they perform in the same ring, pursuing Law studies. there is no physical interaction or sharing of space between these groups. Parallely, these performers are employed on a contractual basis for the season. The Indian performers either unwillingly migrate or are ‘trafficked’ into circus. Whereas for international performers it is more lucrative with the employment options in larger entertainment industry, for the local artists however the changing laws, neo- liberal policies and social marginalization has led to economic distress and silent death of the Indian circus performer. 2 Presenting the Theatrical Past, IFTR 2016, Book of Abstracts ABHIMANYU VINAYAKUMAR University of Hyderabad [email protected] Abhimanyu Vinayakumar is an emerging young Director, trained in Kathakali at Kerala Kalamandalam and Department of Theatre Arts (Masters in Theatre - How do we call it? A Package or a Performance? Design & Direction), University Hyderabad. Marimankanni, The Lover Inside, Yamadoothu: After the Death of Othello, Malayalam adaptation of William Despite the major advancement in modes of representation and techniques of Shakespeare’s Othello and No.14 Walkthrough A site- visual articulation in the performance language, contemporary theatre in Kerala specific performance based on Gabriel Garcia seems to fail in capturing the essence of the present socio-political backdrop. My Marquez’s short story, ‘Trail of Your Blood in the Snow paper intends to focus on the Janabheri Theatre Centre, Thrissur for one of its and Maroon – a performance based on Marquez’s short story are the productions directed by him and various activities which is the Janabheri National Theatre festival an exclusive featured in national and international festivals in India. event for upcoming young directors in the country, through which I intend to He is the Director of Janabheri National Theatre show the disparity between meaningful theatre and a contrasting preoccupation Festival for youth and he is pursuing his doctoral in scenography. I would like to argue that the festival centric production modes research in theatre at University of Hyderabad. are creating a package of theatrical elements to caputre the attention of the curators. I argue that the growth of a festival culture in theatre has facilitated tremendous change in performance language which is more intercultural than local. I further argue that it is the marginalization of the language that has made it alienated from its relevant socio-cultural significance. The performances are reduced to becoming mere visual manifestations which neither contribute much to the interface the performance with the politics. The emerging festival culture in Indian theatre and its influences have to be analyzed on the basis of productions created during the last five years, and through ‘The Moment Just before death ‘ by Liju Krishna and Macbeth by M G Jyothish the paper will be looking at this issues pertinent to the contemporary Indian theatre. 3 Presenting the Theatrical Past, IFTR 2016, Book of Abstracts ADELA BRAVO SAURAS Institut für Angewandte Theaterwissenschaft (Giessen) / Universität der Künste (Berlin) [email protected] Adela Bravo Sauras has an architect degree from the ETSAM and studied theater in the RESAD in Madrid. Classifying Architecture in Relation to Theater Thanks to a postgraduate scholarship she is making a Doctoral research study in the Universität der Künste Berlin among architecture and Theatre and in paralel a Traditional definitions of architecture determine that it is a discipline that creates Master of Arts in the Institut für Angewandte useful buildings that survive the architect (Gordon Graham, Christoph Theaterwissenschaft in Gießen, Germany, directed by Baumberger, Stephen Davies, Robert Stecker, Roger Scruton). We also find Heiner Goebbels. In june 2009 she founded in Berlin examples