Understanding Performance Theory

Before I zero in on an example, I’d like to ruminate a little upon the article we read on Dark Matter last week. Andrew Sofer’s writings explored the darkness surrounding the theatrical event. He draws out empirical evidence of the phantom hidden behind the evolving product that we call theatre and shines a light into the obscurity therein. “Materially elusive though phenomenologically inescapable, dark matter is the “not there” yet “not not there” of theatre.” One of the most crucial points I gleaned from this article is the proof of the unseen accounted for by the presence of the seen. The absence of something, made almost tangible by the presence of another thing, which testified for the absence of said thing by its presence. In other words, Sofer points out that what we do not see is made all the more strikingly evident by what we see. Taking it a step further (not sure if Sofer mentions this in his article), I would assert that theatric...

It is a dark, foggy night. Three huddled figures tip-toe forward with great trepidation – they must not be heard. Suddenly and without warning, Jerry is savagely pulled  from the group and into the pitch-black night. The last thing they hear of him is an eerie scream… No, wait. Re-wind. Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck are shooting a feature length film. In one of their wilder scenes, Elmer Fudd chases the two stars through an art gallery in Paris. As the duck and rabbit dash in and out of famous paintings they enter one without looking where they are going, and crash like dominoes into a wailing figure with an avocado-shaped skull. He lets out an eerie scream… For 67 years, the cinematic universe has enjoyed the novelty of what is known as The Wilhelm Scream. The Scream by Edvard Munch has been around for considerably longer – 125 years to be exact – but there is no denying that both screams have evolved from their remarkable beginnings into cultural phenomena w...