Post Modernism Theatre

"Postmodernism theatre  makes a presentation, not a representation." -Mick Walls

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary refers to postmodernism as "a style and concept in the arts characterized by distrust of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions." Postmodernism was introduced as a rebellion or escape from the modernist theatre. The postmodern style focuses on the idea that beliefs and rules are malleable. It stretches the viewer's mind and forces them to ask questions throughout the production rather than providing answers and resolution. Postmodernism theatre wants its audience to think. It was a movement away from "linearity" to plots with multiple story lines coming together or happening simultaneously provoking drama, known as "multiplicity." Both the narrative and characters can be split or fragmented with all the parts coming from one central idea, this also coincides with the gravitation towards multiplicity. It was less about the actual performance and more about the reflections of the audience. Postmodernism wanted the audience to create and form their own beliefs, there was no spoon feeding so to speak. It rejected high and low art and wanted the audience to be very much a part of the production and form their own opinions, and interpretations. Mele Yamomo said this is his article, "Defining Postmodernism," "To Elinor Fuchs, it is postmodern theatre that we witness the death of the character and eradication of the plot." If I understand correctly, the way that each individual interprets the production is the correct one, no further analyzation or pinpointed message is wanted. Postmodernism is a rejection of genre and style. There was even a rejection of formally scripted dialogue and improvisation was used. Postmodernism attempted to step out of reality "to create its own self conscious atmosphere" defines Wikipedia.  I think that this quote by Kerstin Schmidt really helps to explain and sum up what Postmodernism theatre is trying to achieve. "Postmodernism drama remains a theater of theory... with vital interest in the transformative processes of perception, that is, on how drama and theater are created and presented on stage." 

Here are few examples of Postmodernism productions listed by Wikipedia

Sam Shepard's "Buried Child"

Ozono Production's "Frueza Brut

Heiner Muller's "Hamletmachieche"

Ben Elton's "Popcorn"

 

Reading

In the reading for this week I found it so interesting that Levitin talks about the way singer's break up their words. He points out the close relationship between the lyrics and the beat. He also relates foot taps as a real idea. It's interesting that the way we feel the beat and the lyrics that are set to them have a real affect on the piece as a whole. Our foot tapping to the beat helps to determine how we feel towards the music without even noticing it. It also helps to distinguish the beat in our mind. I never thought the way I move to music or react to it can play a part in the actual beat. It relates a lot to dance as well. The way one moves can add to the feeling of the music and obviously to the beats. 

MUsical Event

This morning I went to a music event and competition. Some played accordions, some violins, some piano, it was really neat. I'm at a dance event in California and the night before there was a music competition and later and open session of playing. It was really interesting. It made me push myself to sit down and enjoy the music that I would normally never listen to. The room was large but the performers sat around in a small area while the audience either sat or stood around to see the musicians up close. It created a quite, almost family atmosphere, it was really sweet. It relates a little to dance in the way that people use their talents to express their emotions and to entertain people. It's a way for them to enjoy themselves while also bringing joy to others. I really do love music I think it can provoke so many different emotions.   

This week in class we talked about the performing arts, especially about dance. We focused on the fundamentals of ballet and its influence on modern dance and other art forms. I have done Irish step dancing since I was six and I know that ballet has had an influence on both the style and the techniques over time. The traditionally bent knees in leaps is now a straight leg which extends in one line, the higher the better. When my teacher was competing she cut her hard shoes so that she walk on her toes and was almost disqualified for her "ballet" movements. Now walking, and running on the toes is an essentials movement in steps. Many movements are also influenced and taken from ballet for example a version of the cabriole, called a cross over, and the entrechat which has many slightly different styles in Irish dance. 

we talked a lot about modern dance as well. I have a great appreciation for modern dance as an art. I feel that it is a different type of art than any other dance form in that it expresses an idea or statement. Dance is the expression of feeling and emotion, and in some cases of perfection and reform. It is used to tell stories. But modern dance, at least  originally, expressed something more. Some idea that made the audience think, that left the audience with room to analyze and dig into like a painting does. Even when we watched the clip in class there was so much to say about it, so many different ideas! I really think it is amazing!  

CLASS TIME

In class we talked a lot about the human body. I found it very interesting that during different time periods people viewed the body in completely different ways. During the Meidieval Period, or the Dark Ages, they thought of life as a negative thing. They believed that it was just a pasing period. I cannot imagine going through life like this, thinking that it was just a completely negative time of suffering that all ended eventually. The people of this time humbled themselves because of this belief and did not feel that the human body was of any importance. However, the periods surrounding it did. I guess that I really thought about why figures were nude, I just realized that they were. I now know that figures were nude because the attitude of the people of that specific time period admired and almost worshiped the human body, for example the statue David. They felt that it was the most perfect thing on earth, so they depicted it over and over. In the Medieval Period however, very rarely are figures nude because they did not celebrate the human body at all. It is so interesting to me the drastic changes fromone time to another and their enormouse affect on art. This is why we must look at art to know and better understand societies of the past as well as our own.

Drag Me to Hell

On Wednesday i went to see the movie Drag Me to Hell, the one we talked about in class. It was quite the movie. It's hard for me to explain how I feel about it. I was terrified in the begining, nauseous during some parts, and spent the rest of the time laughing! It was the most interesting movie I have ever seen. I will admit though that I am honestly really glad that I went. It was really entertaining! The movie was a good combination of humor because of the sarcasm and cheesy effects, and also scary. It had all the classic elements of a horror story, curse, creepy old lady, timid, torrmented girl, demons, graveyard during a thunderstorm, and posesed talking animlas. Quite the movie right? I thought the plot was really well written, the story line was odd yes, but intruiging. Thats where the affect of the "scary movie" sets in. Something about us, as humans, is so intrigued by whole horror film idea. We watch people be tortured by deamons, get thrown up on, be stalked by creepy ladies, and suffer from fear and paranoia and we laugh, or get frightened or feel suspense, whatever the case we don't stop watching, which is weird. For some reason we have got to watch! for that same reason I sat and watched this entire film!

This week in class I felt that I learned so much! Something that I honestly never realized that each time period had such a unique style of architecture. What amazed me, and what I kept thinking to myself during class, is the way that all these time period have come together into one. When we looked at the pictures from various cities around the world I noticed how all the styles blend and have been built side by side or even onto another style entirely. This is such a huge part of our history. All of the people blending together, Their work and creations adding to one another's. To me it seems like a timeline that continuously grows trough people of different beliefs and background. People who all want to accomplish a different goal through their architecture. Architecture can have such an overpowering affect. It can bring us up and lift our spirits like the gothic style or it bring us down and humble us like the many earlier styles. It can also make us feel small and almost overwhelmed like the baroque style.

It is so interesting the way that architects built worker housing when the workers wanted to live in homes in the suburbs while the apartment style housing slowly became trendy and a fad of the wealthy. Oh the irony! The difference between comfort/function and trendy is so great. Everyone wants what is new and up to date until they live amongst it. The gap is so great but the people most always come back to what is comfort, what is home.