Thesis (DPhil (Drama)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This study aims to describe the puppet, mask and actor as icons or mediums in performance in
Africa. The types of performances that will be discussed are religious performances, as well as
liminal and hybrid performances. It is in the cases where the mask and puppet are used in religious
performances, such as rituals, that the iconic characteristics or values are added to the mediumship
of the object. In such cases, these objects do not represent concepts/thoughts/persons/spirits; they
are these things in the space of the ritual. Matters pertaining to representation and acting are
discussed, since iconic representation does not allow for acting from the performer. The actor can
function with, or independently, as an icon, while all these performance elements can function as
mediums in a performance using acting or role-play. These different concepts are then applied by
discussing the term performance. The different elements of a performance and its characteristics –
such as the use of time, space, objects, productivity and rule of a performance – are explained. The
creation of a performance through the use of restored behaviour as well as the possible results of a
performance in the sense of transportation and transformation as temporary or permanent changes
in the performers or audience members is then addressed in the discussion. Different performance
genres such as rituals and social drama will be used to describe the function of the mask, puppet and
actor in liminal and liminoid performances, and to show how these different performance objects
function as icons and/or mediums in these genres. Hybrid forms of performance that cannot be
classified as purely liminal or liminoid performances are also studied, since these types of
performances are often found in contemporary performances in Africa. The production Tall Horse
is used to apply performance theory to see how the different performance objects function in
changed context in a hybrid performance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1288 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Du Preez, Petrus |
| Contributors | Kruger, M. S., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama. Centre for Theatre Research. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | Afrikaans, Afrikaans |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 2347165 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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