Contemporary Forms of Interactive Theatre

Display Schedule

Subject guarantor:

Name of lecturer(s):

Lukáš Brychta

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Students will compare many diverse manners of managing theatre media, which often call into question the traditional established categories of its understanding and because of this will be able to consider a wider context of the form that theatre currently takes. The students will also be able to better understand the current trans-discipline practice typical for the international arts scene and from this be able to understand what direction the Czech theatre scene is going and to describe those features. As well, students will improve their analytical skill and consider, in the arts, the inter-media overlaps of theatre, primarily towards graphic arts, performance and plays.

Mode of study:

Classes with presentations and discussion on selected works and secondary literature.

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

Analysis and review skills. Ability to read professional writings in English. Interest in current trends in theatre and desire to consider theatre alternatives.

Course contents:

This course intends to broaden awareness of contemporary theatre tendencies, which primarily do not come from the interpretation of and existing drama text and also places emphasis on the inclusion of the viewer in the course of events. As well, (that is since, 1989) interactive theatre will be viewed from the position of the artist (in principle, the one applying this in the work), and the recipient and the challenges faced.

During the course the student will be acquainted with various approaches and directions of primarily Western European interactive theatre, will learn the current important active artistist or arts collectives and acquire an overvie of the principles those theatre forms deal with. Part of each class will include the presentation of a piece through screenings and review, placing it in a wider context of the development of the theatre language of a theatre or arts field, and subsequently an analysis of the principles it works with. The classes are intended for students who wish to broaden their awareness of the genre limits of theatre and learn the skills to analyse them which will inspire them in their own work.

Course plan:

1. Introduction to issues of interactive theatre and interaction in theatre in general. The beginnings of modern intertaction in the arts of the 1960s, installations and happenings. Interaction in contemporary mainstream culture, game design and theatre.

2. Installation. Artangel & Robert Wilson: H.G. and Mona el Gammal: Haus Nummer Null.

3. Audiowalk. Janet Cardiff: The Missing Voice (Case Study B) a Rimini Protokoll.

4) Audio-performance. Ratozzaza: Etiquette and Lundahl & Seitl: Symphony of a Missing Room.

5) Video-performance. Rimini Protokoll: The Situation Rooms a SixHouses: Play Underground.

6) Pervasivity and gamifikation. Blast Theory: The Kidnap a Rider Spoke.

7) Pervasivity and globalization. Rimini Protokoll: Call Cutta.

8) One-on-one performance. Adrian Howells: Foot Washing for the Sole a Ontroerend Goed: The Smile off Your Face.

9) Immersion as a performative installation. SIGNA: The Ruby Town Oracle.

10) Immersion as a fictional world. Punchdrunk: Sleep No More.

11) Urban games. The Coney: The Gold-Bug and Killer.

12) Role playing a larpy. The Stanford prison experiment and Nordic Larp: Delirium.

Recommended or required reading:

Alston, Adam (2016). Beyond Immersive Theatre: Aesthetics, Politics and Productive Participation. Basingstoke a New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Bishop, Claire (2005). Installation Art: A Critical History. Londýn a New York: Routledge.

Carlson, Marvin (2015). Immersive Theatre. In Khalid Amine and George F. Roberson (eds.). Alternative Dramaturgies of the new millennium in Arabo-Islamic contexts and beyond: Selected papers from the 10th annual meeting of the Tangier International Conferences Performing Tangier 2014. Tangier: Collaborative Media International, s. 74–78.

Dreysse, Miriam a Florian Malzacher (eds.) (2008). Experts of the Everyday: The Theatre of Rimini Protokoll. Berlín: Alexander Verlag.

Frieze, James (ed.) (2016). Reframing Immersive Theatre: The Politics and Pragmatics of Participatory Performance. Basingstoke a New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Groot Nibbelink, Liesbeth (2009). Staged intimacy: Signa's The Ruby Town Oracle. Theaterdramaturgie.Bank. [online]. URL: <http://ltd.library.uu.nl/doc/788/MP-LNG-Signa.pdf>.

Groot Nibbelink, Liesbeth (2012). Radical intimacy: Ontroerend Goed meets the emancipated spectator. Contemporary Drama Review 22, č. 3, s. 412 – 420.

Heebøll-Christensen, Jesper a Kristoffer Thurøe, Peter Munthe-Kaas (2011). Delirium. In Andresen, Lars et al. (eds.). Do Larp: Documentary Writings from KP2011. Kodaň: Rollespilsakademiet, s. 72–91.

Heddon, Deirdre a Dominic Johnson (eds.) (2016). It's All Allowed: The Performances of Adrian Howells. Bristol: Intellect.

Jackson, Steve (1992). Killer: The Game of Assassination (třetí vydání). Austin: Steve

Jackson Games.

Kattwinkel, Susan (ed.) (2003). Audience Participation: Essays on Inclusion in Performance. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Machon, Josephine (2012). (Syn)aesthetics: Redefining Visceral Performance. London a New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Machon, Josephine (2013). Immersive Theatres: Intimacy and Immediacy in Contemporary Performance. Basingstoke a New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Montola, Markus a Jaakko Stenros, Annika Waern (2009). Pervasive Games: Theory and Design. Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann.

Montola, Markus a Jaakko Stenros (eds.) (2010). Nordic Larp. Stockholm: Fëa Livia.

Oddey, Alison a Christine A. White (eds.) (2009). Modes of Spectating. Bristol: Intellect.

Ontroerend Goed (2014). All Works and No Plays: Blueprints for Performance. Londýn: Oberon Books.

Radosavljević, Duška (ed.) (2013). The Contemporary Ensemble: Interviews with Theatre-Makers. Londýn a New York: Routledge.

Rozlik, Eli (1998). Non-Theatrical Space as Metaphor: Some Speculations on H.G., an Installation by Hans Peter Kuhn and Robert Wilson. In Ernest W.B. Hess-Lüttich, Jürgen E. Müller, Aart van Zoest (eds.). Signs & Space / Raum & Zeichen. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, s. 224–235.

Tomlin, Liz (2015). British Theatre Companies: 1995-2014: Mind the Gap, Kneehigh Theatre, Suspect Culture, Stan's Cafe, Blast Theory, Punchdrunk. Londýn: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Tögl, Gero (2011). Remediating Theatre: From Grand Theft Auto to The Ruby Town Oracle. In Jörg von Brincken, Ute Gröbel, Irina Schulzki (eds.). Fictions / Realities: New Forms and Interactions. Mnichov: Meidenbauer, s. 21–38.

White, Gareth (2012). On Immersive Theatre. Theatre Research International 37, č. 3, s. 221–235.

Zaiontz, Keren (2014). Narcissistic Spectatorship in Immersive and One-on-One Performance. Theatre Journal 66, č. 3, s. 405–425.

Zimbardo, Philip G. (2005). Moc a zlo: Sociálně psychologický pohled na svět. Břeclav: Moraviapress.

Assessment methods and criteria:

During the semester readings of short texts and preparations for individual classes. An active approach and desire to discuss the established topic. Completion of the final course paper discussing one of the covered topics and an exam in a discussion of it.

Course web page:

Note:

Schedule for winter semester 2017/2018:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2017/2018:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Wed	room S410 Učebna S410 (DAMU) (Karlova 26, Praha 1) Brychta L. 14:00–15:30 (paralelka 1)
Thu
Fri

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
	Wed	14:00–15:30	Lukáš Brychta	Učebna S410 (DAMU) Karlova 26, Praha 1		paralelka 1

The subject is a part of the following study plans: