Kinesics – The study of those body movements and gestures by which, as well as by speech, communication is made; body movements and gestures which convey meaning non-vocally. (Oxford English Dictionary, 2014)  This focus on the movements of the theatre and the meaning they convey, so the dictionary is more of less dead on in this case.

Semiotics – The science of communication studied through the interpretation of signs and symbols as they operate in various fields, esp. language (Oxford English Dictionary, 2014)  So, in our case we are focusing on the interpretation of signs and the meaning they convey.

Proxemics – The study or interpretation of physical proximity between people in various situations; the ways in which people interact spatially, esp. in maintaining a certain amount of space between themselves and others. (Oxford English Dictionary, 2014)  In the case of the theatre this means all the spaces, that between the audience members and other member of the audience, also to the audience to the actor, the actor to other actor and the actor to objects on stage.

But why start with all these definition?  Well these are all the elements that need to be considered when designing a set and directing a performance to identify what will be conveyed to the audience.  Arnold Aronson refers to the stage as staring in the abyss, which is capable of staring back at you.  This suggests that the stage can represent anything.  It starts as a blank empty space and then it is the director’s job to fill it with meaning, if he/she does this correctly then it may mirror the audience of tell them something about themselves.  It seems to all come down to conveying meaning or, in the case of some performances, conveying a deliberate lack of meaning to create reason.  To this end everything on the stage is there for a reason and if you want to convey meaning successfully, nothing can be left to chance.

 

Aronson, Arnold (2005) Looking into the Abyss: Essays on Scenography, USA: University of Michigan Press.

Oxford English Dictionary, (2014) Oxford: Oxford University Press, Available from: http://www.oed.com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/

In order to see where we are now in Drama it would make sense for us to first look briefly at where we have come from.  Our first National Theatre was opened in 1961 about three hundred years after France had opened theirs.  Europe believes that theatre is good for a country and its society.  Due to this stance meant that developments and the movement within Drama came from other European countries to Britain.  Britain tends to lag behind as it is sealed off from the other countries and lives in its own world so to speak.  In the 1950s Britain was still focused on the music halls, light comedies and suppressed emotions targeting that of the middle classes and trying to entertain as opposed to convey meaning as such.  It wasn’t until 1956 and a play named ‘Look back in Anger’ that this began to change.  Side note, although this wasn’t the first play it is generally acknowledged as the play that changed it all.

The Royal Court also became very important in changing theatre and drama practise, during the years of 54/55 the lead behind choosing the plays that attended the Royal Court was instrumental in developing the theatre.  All the important plays went to the Royal Court meaning that if someone was able to put on a play there it would propel it into the eye of the British.  This allowed new young English play writes that have something to say about society to convey it through their plays.  So more domestic plays about real people, if you like, appeared on stage, aiming more at lower classes.  The Royal Court felt that it was its duty to allow these new voices onto the stage and convey their messages to the people.  Around this time it was viewed that it was the director’s job to make the voice of the playwright shine through.  ‘The Right to Fail’ also became a phrase used for new performances, which is pretty self-explanatory, but it meant that more experiment forms of theatre where then able to emerge and plays such as, ‘Young Angry Men’ which in turn create the teenage culture that we now except as part of society.  The major play writes began using theatre as a means to convey their political message.

The 70s contained more experimental theatre and the fringe theatre began, allowing many new playwrights to show what they had to contribute.  But this new wave of experimental theatre runs out of steam by the late 80s early 90s.  Around this point the progression of British theatre slows down once more and become stuck in a rut.  This comes around from the lack of new writers and the idea of revivals, putting on a play they know is going to work as opposed to trying out and possible spending more money than is necessary.  Thankfully this did not last long as a new type of theatre emerged; the ‘in-yer-face’ which focused more on personal pain: psychological experiences, drug use and violence to just name a few features.  This was designed to make the audience feel like they had been through this experience with the actors on stage so that they could have a glimpse into their world.  This new edgy theatre began to overtake that of revivals and adaptations.  However they soon realised that this was a very binary way of structuring play and so naturism was in full swing meaning that the history of theatre had come full cycle.

So where are we now?  The classics are still being revived and adapted, but the idea of traditional theatre is now constantly being played with.  There is no longer a set venue that a performance has to take place in: the street, factories anywhere you can think of, a performance can take place there.  There are methods for new writers to be discovered, if you mind that crude phrasing, through writing guilds and competitions and of course the Fringe, if they can find the funding.  The writers are very free to express themselves through these performances.  More collaborate efforts are occurring where groups of people decide to that they want to create something and so everyone in the performance has a say about the direction that it will take.  Overall the mixture of theatre and performances available means that anyone who has a valid point to make will be able to find a way of telling it, and if someone just wants to go to the theatre of an evening of light entertainment that is also available.  I would like to think that British theatre, although still arguably behind that of Europe, is in a good place at the moment.