Some like it real. The solo as a dramaturgical strategy within the context of engaged theatre practices.

Abstract

This research occupies itself with the dramaturgical functioning of the solo within the context of engaged theatre practices. The positioning of the spectator and performer that is a result of the solo’s particular functioning is hereby of central concern. Amongst others, the direct communication between the spectator and performer will be discussed. Next to that, the various implications of having only one person on stage are analysed too. Understanding the solo as a dramaturgical strategy helps to identify the various ways in which the relation between spectator and performer can be set up. In addition, the focus on engaged theatre practices shows how the solo mediates in the dynamic between an individual and society. That is why the following research question will be answered in this thesis: How does the solo, as a dramaturgical strategy in theatre, enables a performer to position himself towards the real and how does this positioning communicates with the spectator about the relationship between theatre and the real? By using the solo, the real, narrative and focalization as analytical tools a performance analysis of the solos Archive and De radicalisering van Sadettin K. will be conducted. It will be demonstrated how the performer can position himself to the real by the act of zooming in and out. Even though the presentation of both soloists might come across as sincere or authentic it will be argued how the truth in theatre is always constructed. Moreover, you can understand the positioning of spectator and performer not only on the level of the performance itself, but also from a conceptual point of view. That leads to the conclusion that the solo emphasizes the difference between the individual on stage and the spectators as a collective in the auditorium. In doing so, the performer and spectator are both implicated in how they come to understand the relation between theatre and the real.