strona główna
| The Sources of Theatre |
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Lectures Prof. Mirosław Kocur 19–23 September 2011 Cinema Room
I propose to rethink the sources of theatre in the contexts of modern anthropology, neuroscience, archeology, paleontology, and performance studies. Prehistoric humans have left an abundance of evidence for activities that later were called ‘theatre’ by the Greeks. I will present a brief survey of the new research landscape in this field. Neuroscience and anthropology prove that humans are born to perform. In order to make full use our anatomy we have to dance and sing. Our acting is determined by our neuron systems. We can understand and feel what we see only if our brain simulates it first. Imitative behavior makes us human. Monkeys do not imitate. I will apply new discoveries of neuroscience to explain performances in the Upper Paleolithic caves. Today more than ever we are able to reconstruct prehistoric performances. New technologies and sophisticated theories help us to better understand our history as a series of transformative events. But biology and technology are only a part of our life. Humans can produce complex intangible culture. Theatre as a cultural phenomenon has emerged twice in history. First in ancient Athens, later in a medieval monastery. In the lecture I will introduce new performative categories to analyze theatre. Monday 19 September: Introduction: Performing Arts in Bali a lecture on methodology: Bali as a theatre laboratory to test and redefine performative categories Tuesday 20 September: The Descend of Performer anthropological report: upright walking, endurance running, dancing, gesture, singing, speaking, acting Wednesday 21 September: Paleoperformances control of fire, death, personal ornaments and body painting, transformative performances in the cave Thursday 22 September: Performative Space open space, cave, Göbekli Tepe, Çatalhöyúk, pyramid, Theatre of Dionysos, Theatre of Pompeii, monastery, church, street, tavern, the Globe, Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza Friday 23 September: Two Births of Theatre ancient Greece: phonetic writing, komasts, dance and the birth literature, aoidoi, rhapsodoi, banqueters, musicians, actors, art of manipulation medieval Europe: evangelization, monk as a performer, liturgy, art of transformation Mirosław Kocur is a theatre director, historian and theatre scholar. He is professor at the University of Wrocław and at the Ludwik Solski State Theatre School in Cracow. He graduated from the Wrocław University of Technology (1979) and the Drama Directing Department at the State Theatre School in Cracow (1986). Kocur has directed and lectured in Poland, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, Greece and the US. He participated in many projects of Jerzy Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre, designed and built bridges in the south of Poland (Carpathian Foothills) as well as served as artistic director of the Wrocław Second Studio (1987–1990) and director of the Broken Walls festival in California (1991). In 2005 he was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship. His books include Teatr antycznej Grecji (2001; Ancient Greek Theatre), We władzy teatru. Aktorzy i widzowie w antycznym Rzymie (2005; In the Grip of Theatre: Actors and Spectators in Ancient Rome) and Drugie narodziny teatru. Performanse mnichów angielskich (2010; The Second Birth of Theatre: Performances of Anglo-Saxon Monks). He is a member of the European Network of Research and Documentation of Performances of Ancient Greek Drama, and contributes to Teatr and Dialog theatre journals. Website: www.kocur.uni.wroc.pl |