performance artist

Augusto Boal - Theatre of the Oppressed

Augusto Boal, a deeply impactful theatre practitioner, social activist, and drama theorist from Brazil, is known for his community rooted style of theatre dubbed “Theatre of the Oppressed”. His radical form of theatre and political activism brought about the idea of the “spect-actor”, as Boal believed that audiences should not merely be passive observers of the theatrical experience, but should rather be actors with agency within the performance itself. Boal believes that life, itself, is a performance, and we are all spect-actors who choose when and when not to act in given situations of injustice. Through his work and this text, a culmination of his theories, beliefs, and practices, Boal revolutionized how people viewed the impact theatre could have when integrated into community action. This is not theatre for the people, this is theatre of the people, and that distinction is vitally important to Boal practitioners. Participatory theatre grounds how I believe performance should be. This work has fundamentally shaped the ways in which I believe theatre can be by and for the people.

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Augusto Boal - The Rainbow of Desire

The Rainbow of Desire is a particularly interesting text of Boal’s, as it is written in direct response to many Western critiques of his work. There has been much conflict surrounding the ways in which Boal’s work has been adopted, and perhaps co-opted, by a relatively much more privileged society such as the United States. With a more complex relationship between “oppressor” and “oppressed” within the US, it is often difficult to employ Boal’s techniques in a way that actually advances social groups forward, rather than furthering their oppression. This text is a response to those critiques and concerns, emphasizing how theatre of the oppressed is merely a toolbelt from which you can pull in order to adapt to different social contexts. As someone who has often had my own critiques of the use of Boal’s work in the US, I found this text to be incredibly insightful, enlightening, and influential in my understanding of how to better utilize and adapt Boal’s techniques, beliefs, and practices within the ever-evolving context of the United States.  

 

Robert Emerson, Rachel Fretz, Linda Shaw - Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes

While maybe not so “artfully inspiring” as many of my other listed texts, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes is a textbook that has deeply influenced my theatre making practice. A step-by-step guide for the burgeoning ethnographer, this text has provided me with tools and skills that can be adapted for use in the script devising process. This text provides in depth guides for interviewing, transcribing, and cultivating stories for a thoughtful ethnography, often offering examples, both good and bad, from published ethnographies. My first introduction to formal ethnography, this text has been instrumental in my understanding of the art of the interview.

 

Johnny Saldaña - Ethnotheatre: Research from Page to Stage

Perhaps the most comprehensive text on the topic of ethnotheatre, Ethnotheatre: Research from Page to Stage, closely examines all of the facets that go into devising, writing, publishing, and producing ethnographic based theatre work. Drawing inspiration both from Boal and traditional academic ethnography, Saldaña encapsulates the art of the authentic story. This text both acts as a guide to producing your own ethnographic theatre work, as well as an examination of previously created ethnodramas. He asks incredibly crucial questions surrounding the ethics of our interviews and the definition of art itself. This text has been formative for me in opening my eyes to the world of performance studies. It exposed me to inspiring works I had never heard of, and techniques that had never been approached in other realms of my education.

 

Eve Ensler - The Vagina Monologues

During Spring 2018, in collaboration with the residents of Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility, I assistant directed a production of this show. The women at the facility took to the words Ensler collected through a series of interviews as if they themselves were the ones being interviewed. In this space of open, untrained, and willing actors, the words relaxed into the authenticity of their humanness. The Vagina Monologues, created through an interview process, is a collection of stories from and about women surrounding the topic of the vagina. From giving birth to having sex to trans body dysmorphia, this play captures the vastness of the female experience. Working on this production opened my eyes to the world of ethnotheatre, inspiring me to continue exploring interview-based work.

 

Sarah Kane - 4:48 Psychosis

This play, written, one might say, devoid of form, has had a tremendous impact on my artistic approach to script writing. With its raw, unedited, and undefined language, it embodies the authenticity with which I seek to approach my art/social justice work. The playwright, Sarah Kane, also deeply inspires me as an individual. Kane, a young playwright in Britain in the 90s, demanded that she and her art belonged in the “in-yer-face” theatre movement happening at the time, a movement largely consisting of young white men. The movement was known for its graphic, aggressive, and explicit presentation of the human condition, and thusly was deemed as “inappropriate” for women to participate in. Kane vehemently defied these expectations of femininity, becoming one of the most famous and admired “in-yer-face” playwrights. This play was the last play she wrote before taking her own life. It holds a very special place in my heart. I deeply admire Sarah Kane and all that she has brought to the theatrical community and the advancement of women in media production. I had the opportunity to utilize this text as a part of a directing scene study in 2017.