Este trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre o teatro contemporâneo em embate com as transformações sociais pelas quais estamos passando. Neste momento de incertezas e inversão de valores, o teatro incorpora as discussões e temáticas ligadas à experiência sensível dos seres humanos, ao mesmo tempo em que inova sua linguagem, recorrendo a dispositivos tecnológicos que propiciam diferentes modos de interação com o público. Propostas sem atores em cena aportam o questionamento sobre que elementos, afinal, definem o teatro, enquanto que o compartilhamento de experiências busca expandir o entendimento da inserção do real em cena. A partir da aproximação a aspectos que observamos recorrentes na cena atual, abordamos dois espetáculos em cada uma das três partes que constituem a pesquisa. Recorremos ao conceito da teatralidade como ferramenta imbatível para a exposição de uma prática teórica construída no momento mesmo dos acontecimentos que se pretende analisar. Pretendemos, desse modo, responder às exigências da área de Teoria e Prática do teatro, que privilegia pesquisas que fundem o fazer e o refletir teatral. / The thesis proposes a reflection on contemporary theatre\'s confrontation with current social transformations. In this moment of uncertainty and inversion of values, theatre incorporates discussions on sensitive themes while innovating its language, using technological devices that provide different modes of interaction with the public. The absence of actors on stage raises questions about what ultimately defines the theatre, while the sharing of personal experiences by actors, expands the understanding of the insertion of the real into the scene. We seek to approach reoccurring aspects of the current scene, analyzing two shows in each of the three parts of this research. We turn to the concept of theatricality as a unique tool to explore a very contemporary practice. In this way, it seeks to respond to the demands of theatre Practice and Theory field, which favors researches that combine practice and reflection.

Mémoire en recherche-création / Le présent mémoire propose d’interroger la construction du récit médiatique dans la fable théâtrale contemporaine. D’abord par une fiction au dispositif épuré, mais au verbe cru et humoristique, la pièce de théâtre Transactions, puis par un essai sur la pièce de théâtre Rouge Gueule d’Étienne Lepage, nous désirons explorer les liens qui unissent le comique et la violence du langage, notamment par des affinités avec le mouvement britannique In-Yer-Face (Sarah Kane) et tels que mis de l’avant par un « personnage-réseau » porteur de discours, en écho à l’« impersonnage » de Jean-Pierre Sarrazac. En ce sens, nous avons convoqué les notions de dialogisme (Bakhtine) hétéromorphe (Hervé Guay), d’esthétique de la divergence (Hervé Guay), de polyphonie (Bakhtine) hétéromorphe (Hervé Guay) et de la mise à mal d’un conflit afin d’expliquer le renouvellement d’une esthétique dramaturgique tout à fait contemporaine, se rapportant à la Toile et dont le spectateur émancipé (Jacques Rancière) devient un actant principal par l’intermédiaire duquel le théâtre prend tout son sens. / This thesis aims to question the construction of the media narrative in the contemporary theatrical fable. First, by analyzing the play Transactions and its sober scenography, yet raw and humorous words, and subsequently examining Étienne Lepage’s Rouge Gueule, we will explore the links between the humor and violence of language. This includes the affinity with the British movement In-Yer-Face (Sarah Kane) as put forward by a "network-character" speech bearer in response to Jean-Pierre Sarrazac’s "non-character". Thus, this paper will study concepts including heteromorph (Hervé Guay) dialogism (Bakhtin), aesthetics of the divergence (Hervé Guay), heteromorph (Hervé Guay) polyphony (Bakhtine) and the redefinition of conflict in order to explain the replenishment of an aesthetic dramaturgy that is quite contemporary, relevant to the Web and in which the emancipated audience (Jacques Rancière) becomes a main actor through which the play takes on its full meaning.

Cette étude s’intéresse à l’espace mental comme nouveau terrain d’exploration du drame britannique contemporain, et examine les manifestations d’un mouvement qui « met en pièces » les régions inexplorées des pensées inconscientes et les contrées impénétrables du traumatisme. Puisant dans les découvertes de la psychanalyse et des sciences cognitives, inspiré par le changement de paradigme de la mécanique quantique et ses interrogations sur le rôle et la nature de la conscience, ce théâtre non plus tant « in-yer-face » que « in-yer-head » s’éloigne de la sensibilité des années 1990. Les pièces de Crimp, Kane, Churchill, Cooper, Frayn, Stephens, Payne, Haddon, Ravenhill, Neilson et d’autres déconstruisent et reconstruisent le personnage comme la somme virtuelle de tous ses possibles. Le mode d’existence spéculatif, diffracté et pluriel du sujet renouvelle les définitions du réalisme psychologique et du réalisme théâtral. Ce travail étudie les modalités de cette « psychopoétique quantique » autour de concepts clés comme la probabilité ou l’incertitude, et montre comment des métaphores issues de la théorie quantique comme la dualité onde-particule ou les mondes multiples servent à illustrer l’indétermination de la psyché en évoquant les mécanismes de défense et autres symptômes qui constituent la réalité subjective d’esprits affectés par le traumatisme, la psychose, le stress ou la maladie neurologique. Nous montrons qu’en explorant la nature de la conscience, du soi et de la réalité ainsi que la condition des femmes, ces pièces posent des questions philosophiques sur le libre arbitre et la possibilité de choix dans un monde devenu plus incertain et imprévisible que jamais. / This study asserts that the human mind has become the new frontier in contemporary British drama, and interrogates and assesses manifestations of this movement which stages uncharted regions of thought and the dark territories of traumatic mindscapes. Drawing on theories from psychoanalysis and cognitive science, and inspired by the paradigm shifts of quantum mechanics and its interrogations on the role and nature of consciousness, this new theatre moves from “in-yer-face” to “in-yer-head” and away from the sensibility of the “nasty nineties.” Plays by Crimp, Kane, Churchill, Cooper, Frayn, Stephens, Payne, Haddon and others deconstruct and reconstruct the character as thevirtual sum of all her possibilities. In these mental spaces, the subject’s speculative, diffracted and plural mode of existence redefines psychological realism and stage realism. Examining the modalities of a quantum “psychopoetics” around key concepts such as probability and uncertainty, I show how metaphors borrowed from quantum theory based on the double slit-experiment, the wave-particle duality, the wavefunction collapse, the observer effect, quantum decoherence, quantum entanglement, and the many-worlds interpretation are used to emphasise the intrinsic indeterminacy of our minds. They evoke a number of psychological defense mechanisms and other symptoms that constitute the subjective reality of disturbed minds affected by trauma, psychosis, stress or neurological disease. By exploring the nature of mind, the self, and reality, and the condition of women, these plays address philosophical questions about free will and choice in a world that has become more uncertain and unpredictable than ever.

La présente étude analyse d'un côté et sous une perspective philosophique et anthropologique, la relation de l'artiste au réel. De l'autre, elle étudie la place ontologique et esthétique de l'acteur/du performer dans l'art documentaire contemporain. Puisque toute forme de documentation est soutenue par une définition du « réel » ainsi que par le problème de sa juste « saisie », il semble indispensable d’interroger la notion de « perception » et ceci sous ses aspects ethnographiques ainsi que physiologiques. Le positionnement contemporain qui se dessine apparaît donc comme « constructiviste », à savoir que ce que nous appelons le réel y est le fruit d’une relation dialogique et égalitaire entre l’homme et les objets du monde. Cette relation s’est libérée du concept cartésien des res cogitans et res extensa qui s’opposent de façon hiérarchique. Pour l’art documentaire contemporain, ce premier constat comporte deux conséquences : d’un côté, nous observons que la rencontre de l’artiste avec le réel est tâtonnant et emprunt de doutes et que ses esthétiques relèvent du fragmentaire et de l’hétérogène. De l’autre, l’art documentaire contemporain se voit obligé d’interroger la notion du « jeu » avec les documents, notamment les limites – esthétiques comme éthiques - de la fictionnalisation. Le constat de la fonction épistémologique prépondérante du jeu au sein de l’art documentaire contemporain, représente le cœur de la présente thèse. / The aim of the present thesis is on one hand, to explore the relationship between artists and reality from a philosophical and anthropological perspective and on the other hand, to describe the ontological and aesthetical position of the actor/performer in contemporary documentary art, particularly in theatre. Since any form of documentation of reality requires a definition of the real and the ways to deal with it, or to capture it, a definition of “perception” is essential, from a philosophical, ethnographical and physiological perspective. The contemporary point of view in this respect can be described as absolutely constructivist. Reality stands out as the product of a balanced communication between subject and object. Observer and observed reality are not in opposition to each other, in a hierarchical and dichotomous way as Descartes formulated it in his rationalist concept of res cogitans and res extensa, but they rather interact into a dialogue. For the contemporary documentary art this definition of reality offers two sides: on one hand, in an attitude that meets reality rather carefully and doubtfully, it results in an opened, fragmented and heterogeneous form of art. On the other hand, documentary art deals with the ethical and aesthetical problem of playing (with) the documentation. Each and every documentary artist shall constantly assess, whether and to what extend art is allowed to play with reality. However, the statement that playing with reality fulfills a unique, both epistemological and anthropological function, is definitely the subject of the present study. / Die folgende Studie untersucht einerseits, aus philosophischer und anthropologischer Perspektive, die Beziehung des Künstlers zur Realität. Andererseits beschreibt sie die ontologische und ästhetische Stellung des Schauspielers/Performers in der zeitgenössischen Dokumentarkunst. Da jede Form von Dokumentation der Wirklichkeit eine Definition des Realen und den Möglichkeiten diesem zu begegnen, beziehungsweise es zu erfassen, voraussetzt, scheint es unumgänglich den Begriff der « perception » (Wahrnehmung) auf philosophische, aber auch ethnographische und physiologische Definitionen abzuklopfen. Die zeitgenössische Perspektive, die sich dabei abzeichnet, scheint unumschränkt konstruktivistisch, d.h. dass sich Wirklichkeit als Produkt einer gleichberechtigten Kommunikation beschreiben 347 lässt, auch da wo der Mensch ein Objekt wahrnimmt. Beobachter und beobachtete Realität stehen sich nicht, wie es Descartes rationalistisches Konzept der res cogitans und res extensa formuliert, hierarchisch und dichotomisch gegenüber, sondern dialogisieren vielmehr. Für die zeitgenössische Dokumentarkunst ergibt sich daraus einerseits, dass sie Wirklichkeit eher vorsichtig und zweifelnd begegnet und ihr dementsprechend im Rahmen der Kunst offene, fragmentarische und heterogene Formen gibt. Andererseits setzt sie sich mit dem ethischen und ästhetischen Problems des Spiels von oder mit Dokumenten auseinander. Ob und inwieweit die Kunst mit der Realität spielen darf, muss von jedem Dokumentarkünstler neu beantwortet werden. Die Feststellung aber, dass Spielen mit Realität eine ganz eigene, epistemologische und anthropologische Funktion erfüllt, wird anhand der vorliegenden Studie anschaulich.

[pt] A presente dissertação se debruça sobre a criação cênica Hoje Não Saio Daqui – espetáculo ocorrido no Rio de Janeiro, resultado do encontro artístico entre a Cia Marginal, atores e atrizes angolanos moradores da Maré convidados e o dramaturgo Jô Bilac – para investigar de que maneira a dimensão performativa e relacional de sua dramaturgia e seu investimento nas chamadas escritas de si proporcionam uma abordagem dupla sobre a questão das fronteiras contemporâneas. Por um lado, as histórias narradas pelos migrantes angolanos explicitam as fronteiras materiais e subjetivas enfrentadas pelos mesmos tanto em suas travessias de África até o Brasil quanto aquelas que recaem sobre seus corpos na circulação dentro do território brasileiro – tecnologias que operam através do controle de deslocamentos e velocidades, da racialização e da fronteirização dos corpos. Por outro, o apelo para a diferença e à necessidade de separação manifestos na disposição autobiográfica da dramaturgia, que envolve posicionamentos e reivindicações próprias dos performers, paradoxalmente revê as fronteiras pensadas como sua hipótese primordial, e ativa a possibilidade de um regime de bordas (KIFFER) e de uma nova Cosmópolis (AGIER). Por fim, examina-se de que maneira a não obliteração da figura do dramaturgo externo e não participante em uma escrita cênica que investe em dramaturgias pessoais e na presença de corpos falantes produz materialidades que repensam uma política do comum. / [en] The present dissertation focuses on the scenic creation Hoje Não Saio Daqui – a theatrical play that took place in Rio de Janeiro, which was the result of the artistic gathering among Cia Marginal, invited Angolan actors and actresses living in Maré Complex and the playwright Jô Bilac – to investigate in which way the performative and relational dimension of its dramaturgy and its investment in the so-called writings of the self provide a twofold approach to the issue of contemporary borders. On the one hand, the stories narrated by the Angolan migrants make explicit the material and subjective borders faced by them both in their crossings from Africa to Brazil and those that their bodies suffer in the circulation within the Brazilian territory – technologies that operate through the control of displacements and speeds, of racialization and borderization of bodies. On the other hand, the appeal for difference and the need for separation manifest in the autobiographical disposition of the dramaturgy, which involves the performers’ own positions and claims, paradoxically revises the boundaries thought of as its primordial hypothesis, and activates the possibility of a regime de bordas (KIFFER) and a new Cosmopolis (AGIER). Finally, it examines how the non-obliteration of the figure of the external and non-participant playwright in a scenic writing that invests in personal dramaturgies and in the presence of speaking bodies produces materialities that rethink a politics of the common.

Sous l’intitulé « remembrance théâtrale », la thèse se propose d’examiner la présence du passé ainsi que les usages de l’Histoire et de la mémoire dans la création scénique contemporaine en Europe. Quel regard les artistes de la scène contemporaine portent-ils sur le passé ? Quelle lecture nous donnent-ils de l’Histoire et dans quelle perspective ? Comment, et à quelles fins, intègrent-ils ce passé dans leur processus d’écriture scénique ? En quoi la scène et ses possibilités artistiques sont-elles propices à l’exploration de la mémoire ? Quel rôle ces artistes délèguent-ils au spectateur dans l’établissement du sens de cette exploration ? L’analyse s’appuiera sur trois créations récentes de Maguy Marin (Description d’un combat), Christoph Marthaler (Papperlapapp) et François Tanguy (Onzième). A travers l’exemple de ces formes scéniques apparentées au « spectre postdramatique » (Christian Biet, Christophe Triau) ainsi qu’à la constellation des « écritures du plateau » (Bruno Tackels), dans lesquelles se manifestent les pratiques de la fragmentation, de la citation, de la trace et de l’archive, de la déconstruction et de l’assemblage, il s’agira de saisir les spécificités esthétiques qui découlent de ces explorations du temps depuis la scène en interrogeant à la fois les modalités de leur mise en œuvre, les conditions de leur réception et les visées de leur présentation. Selon une approche esthétique s’appuyant notamment sur la philosophie de l’Histoire de Walter Benjamin, la thèse envisage donc de déployer tout à la fois une poïétique, une poétique ainsi qu’une politique de la remémoration dans les arts du spectacle de ces quinze dernières années. / Under the heading "theatrical remembrance," this thesis sets out to examine the relation of modern theatre to the past and the uses of history and memory in contemporary stage creation in Europe. It examines how artists of the contemporary scene relate to the past asking the questions : What conception do they give us of history and from what perspective? How and for what purpose, do they integrate the past in their scenic writing process? In what way is the scene and its artistic possibilities conducive to the exploration of memory? What roles do artists delegate to their audience in determining the meaning of their artistic expression? The analysis is based on three recent creations by Maguy Marin (Description d'un combat), Christoph Marthaler (Papperlapapp) and François Tanguy (Onzième). Through these examples of scenic forms, affiliated to the "post-dramatic spectrum" (Christian Biet, Christophe Triau), as well as the contribution of Les écritures de plateau by Bruno Tackels, in which the practices of fragmentation, the quote, the trace, the archive; of dismantling and of assembly, appear. Through the use of the aesthetic characteristics resulting from these explorations of the past on the stage, and the questioning of the modalities of their implementation, the conditions of their reception and the purposes of their presentation and in accordance with an aesthetic approach based in particular on the philosophy of History by Walter Benjamin, the thesis plans to develop a poetics and politics of remembrance in the performing arts of the last fifteen years.

[pt] Esta pesquisa procura discutir o modo pelo qual algumas companhias teatrais cariocas se inserem no contexto do contemporâneo. Na cena contemporânea nacional e internacional, um grande número de grupos e companhias teatrais voltam-se para a experimentação estética em que o texto dramático serve como estímulo à livre interpretação e jogos de improvisação que resultam em espetáculos mais expandidos. Nesse contexto a escrita cênico-dramatúrgica se sobrepõe ao texto previamente escrito. Assim, os conceitos de teatro pós-moderno e de pós-dramático, cunhado pelo teórico Hans-Thies Lehmann, são contrapostos ao de performativo, como proposto por Erika Fischer-Lichte e Josette Féral. Embora tais conceitos possam ser operativos para alguns espetáculos estudados nesta pesquisa, não dão conta do repertório das companhias cariocas. Dessa forma, primeiramente, após o exame do pós-dramático, e performativo, busca-se refletir acerca do contemporâneo e da contemporaneidade nas análises de críticos e teóricos das artes, do teatro e da literatura. Em um segundo momento, será feita uma apreciação acerca da formação de grupos e companhias no Brasil, com especial atenção àquelas aqui investigadas e suas novas formas de composição: criação coletiva e trabalho colaborativo. Finalmente, a partir da investigação de práticas teatrais recentes das companhias Os Dezequilibrados e Cia. dos Atores, procura-se refletir acerca do que pode ser entendido como teatro contemporâneo e como ele se revela na cena carioca atual. / [en] The aim of this research is to discuss the way in which some theatre companies from Rio de Janeiro fit into the context of the contemporary. In the national and international scene a large number of theatre groups and companies are dedicated to aesthetic experimentation and the dramatic text is stimulus for a free interpretation and for improvisation games which result in more expanded plays. In this context where the dramaturgical writing on stage overlaps the text previously written, the concept of post-modern theatre, as well as post-dramatic theatre, coined by Hans-Thies Lehmann, are contrasted with the concept of performative, as proposed by Erika Fischer-Lichte and Josette Féral. Although these concepts may apply to some performance pieces brought about by this research, they do not account for the whole repertory of these theatrical companies from Rio de Janeiro. Thus, at first, after an examination into the post-dramatic and performative, an investigation concerning the contemporary and contemporaneity is carried out through analysis of Art, Theatre and Literature scholars writings on these issues. Secondly, there will be an appreciation of how theatre groups and companies were formed in Brazil, with special attention paid to those investigated here and their corresponding ways of theatre making: devising and collaborative work. Finally, based on an examination into recent theatrical practices of the companies Os Dezequilibrados and Cia. dos Atores, this investigation aims at reflecting upon what can be understood as contemporary theatre and how it can be perceived in Rio de Janeiro s current stages. / [es] Esta investigación analiza la forma en que algunas companías teatrales de Rio de Janeiro se sitúan en el contexto de lo contemporáneo. En la escena contemporánea nacional e internacional, grupos y companías de teatro vuélvanse a la experimentación estética, mientras el texto dramático sirve como estímulo para la libre interpretación y juegos de improvisación que producen espectáculos más expandidos. En este contexto, la escritura escénica y dramatúrgica se superponen al texto escrito previamente, Así, el concepto de teatro posmoderno y de posdramático, acunado por el teórico Hans- Thies Lehmann, se oponen al concepto de performativo según propuesto por Erika Fischer-Lichte y Josette Féral. Aunque estos conceptos se pueden aplicar a algunos espectáculos examinados en ese estudio, ellos no se aplican a todo el repertorio de las companías de Rio de Janeiro. Además, en primero lugar, después del examen del posdramátic y performativo, se busca reflexionar sobre el contemporáneo y la contemporaneidad en los análisis de críticos y teóricos de las artes, del teatro y de la literatura. En un segundo momento, será hecha una evaluación sobre la formación de grupos y companías en Brasil, con particular atención a aquellas aquí investigadas y sus nuevas formas de composición: creación colectiva y proceso colaborativo. Por fin, a partir de la investigación de las prácticas teatrales recientes de las companías Os Dezequilibrados y Cia. dos Atores, se busca reflexionar acerca de lo que puede entenderse como teatro contemporáneo y como él se revela en la escena actual en Rio de Janeiro.

This study acknowledges that historical antipathies towards gay men have marginalised their theatrical representation in the past. However, over the last century a change has occurred in the social location of gay men in Canada (from being marginalised to being included). Given these changes, questions arise as to whether staged representations of gay men are still marginalised today. Given antipathies towards homosexuality and homophobia may contribute to the how theatres determine the riskiness of productions, my investigation sought a correlation between financial risk in theatrical production and the marginalisation of gay representations on stage. Furthermore, given that gay sex itself, and its representation on stage, have been theorised as loci of antipathies to gayness, I investigate the relationship between the visibility and overtness of gay sex in a given play and the production of that play’s proximity to the mainstream. The study located four plays from across the spectrum of production conditions (from high to low financial risk) in BC. Analysis of these four plays shows general trends, not only in the plays’ constructions but also in the material conditions of their productions that indicate that gay representations become more overt, visible and sexually explicit when less financial risk was at stake. Various factors are identified – including the development of the script, the producing theatre, venue, and promotion of the production – that shape gay representation. The analysis reveals that historical theatrical practices, that have had the effect of marginalizing the representations of gays in the past, are still in place. These practices appear more prevalent the higher the financial risk of the production. / The author would like to sincerely thank Ann Wilson, Ric Knowles, Matthew Hayday, Alan Shepard, Sky Gilbert, Daniel MacIvor, Michael Lewis MacLennan, Conrad Alexandrowicz, Chris Grignard, Edward Roy, Brad Fraser, Cole J. Alvis, Jonathan Seinan, David Oiye, Clinton Walker, Sean Cummings, Darrin Hagin, and Chris Galatchian. / SSHRC, The Heather McCallum Scholarship, Lambda Prize for achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered studies.