Doctoral Degrees (Drama)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/599

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 29

After the megamusical : exploring the intimate form
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Gerber, Andre Kruger; Du Preez, Petrus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The megamusical has become one of the most popular performance forms, with productions such as The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and The Lion King (1997) running profitably for decades. In South Africa, where productions of megamusicals are tremendously popular, the form itself is increasingly unsustainable within an economic framework where ticket prices and production costs are often at odds. This dissertation investigates another form of musical theatre – the intimate musical – as a more sustainable model for creating musical theatre in South Africa. The study defines the intimate musical within certain limited fiscal, performative and aesthetic (visual and aural) frameworks, noting the use of a limited cast and orchestra size, imaginative staging techniques and focused narrative qualities as distinguishing features. This dissertation assesses and outlines the aesthetic principles of both the megamusical and the intimate musical and subsequently proposes that the intimate musical is a more sustainable model in which to resourcefully present imaginative productions with an alternative thematic and aesthetic scope. The study concludes with the creation and discussion of a new Afrikaans intimate musical, Fees, (Festival) that incorporates the aesthetic features of the intimate musical.
Applying indigenous knowledge resources in children’s play-crafting in Southern Nigeria : practice-led research using Ibibio folk narratives
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-03) Inyang, Idaresit Ofonime; Pretorius, Mareli Hattingh; Kruger, Marie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study is to investigate the possibility to use play-crafting as a form of educational drama to renew the interest of Ibibio children in their Indigenous Knowledge Resources. The educational and moral function of these materials were eroded by colonialism and is further weakened by globalisation. The primary activity in this practice-led research is therefore an educational project carried out with a group of approximately 50 Ibibio children, aged between 9 and 12 who are pupils of selected primary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Chapter two analyses the available indigenous knowledge resources, namely proverbs, folktales, storytelling, myths, folksongs, traditional games, riddles, and legends and the oral tradition in which these resources are embedded. Chapter three analyses constructivism, participatory learning and play as important components in this practice-led study, which employs play-crafting as a learning method. Constructivism with Dewey as important figure perceives learning as interactive and engaging as learners can be coconstructors in the process of knowledge making. Constructivism emphasizes collaboration, problem solving and the experiences of the learners. This school of thought challenges the formal or traditional educational philosophy that emphasizes the transfer of fixed body of knowledge from educators to learners in a highly formalized context involving a top-down release of knowledge by an educator to the educated. The cognitive constructivism theory of Bruner and Piaget, Vygotsky’s social constructivism and Von Glaserfeld’s radical constructivism theories are also relevant to this study. Participatory learning as voluntary and active involvement in learning as seen in the philosophy of Freire rests on the same principal. Play is important to this study as many Scholars advocate play as an important means of learning as it serves as an interactive space and a form of social enculturation, cultural practices and knowledge transmitter. Play is not only an enjoyable and spontaneous activity of young children, but it also contributes significantly to children’s learning and development. Play therefore forms the bases for play-crafting as an educational drama activity which combines constructivism and its related participatory learning. Chapter four looks at the three different approaches to education drama: Creative Drama and Playmaking, Drama-in-Education and the integrated approach, which combines these approaches. The objective of Creative Drama and Playmaking is to give each child an avenue of self-expression, guide the creative imagination and to provide a controlled emotional outlet. Drama-in-Education uses drama as a teaching and learning medium. The practice-led fieldwork as described in chapter five followed the combined approach by incorporating storytelling, improvisation and role-playing as creative tools in play-crafting. The findings in chapter six points to the effectiveness of adapting Ibibio indigenous knowledge resources by means of play-crafting in teaching traditional values and social skills to young children in selected schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Through various levels of investigation, a field experiment and extensive analysis, this study is able to establish that the application of indigenous resource could transform the learning experience for children with optimal benefit to the child and society.
Assessing change : investigating evaluation practices in applied theatre
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Van Schalkwyk, Mareth; Pretorius, Mareli Hattingh; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the problematic nature of assessing and evaluating change brought about by applied theatre programmes. Many applied theatre programmes, projects and practitioners lay claim to successful behaviour change and effective social transformation as programme, project or performance outcomes. These claims are subject to scepticism as often such proclamations are made without rigorous and valid assessment and evaluation methodologies and practices. Practitioners frequently lament the lack of appropriate measurement tools, not only to assess the effectiveness of programmes, but also to improve programmes and report to funders. The study focused on three research questions, namely: a) Why the need for assessment and what constitutes change; b) Why are current assessment methods successful or unsuccessful; c) What is needed from a measurement tool? A literature study and an empirical study have been conducted in order to answer the three set questions. The literature study firstly examines why the need for assessment and evaluation exists. Secondly, it investigates change; how it can be defined and how it works. The assessment and evaluation practises of various social science fields are discussed and comparisons drawn to applied theatre in order to investigate whether these theories, methodologies and techniques can be used in the applied theatre field. Lastly, assessment and evaluation methodologies and techniques within the applied theatre field are explored and the effectiveness of each method is discussed as a conclusion to the literature study. The empirical study takes the form of an online survey and interviews and the questions set in the survey directly correlate with the three research questions. The results of the empirical study support the findings of the literary study. Practitioners mostly agree that programmes should be evaluated and assessed, but the factors of a lack of knowledge and skills with regards to evaluation practices, the complex nature of applied theatre programmes, the challenge of measuring human behaviour and the difficulty of attributing change to one influence combine to create the feeling of overwhelming helplessness amongst practitioners. Theories on change have been extensively researched, but most applied theatre practitioners are not familiar various change theories. This oversight becomes more troublesome when it is considered that most evaluation and assessment methodologies are based on a specific change theory. In light of what change and sustained change imply, a shift needs to be made away from instigating change to encouraging efficacy. Evaluation methodology should be tailor-made for each programme and no one-size-fits-all evaluation method is possible. Suitable evaluation methodology exists, but practitioners require skills and knowledge to use different components and techniques creatively to suit the specific purposes of their programmes/projects. In conclusion I suggest an evaluation toolkit as possible solution to the above mentioned problems, which encompasses the facilitation of knowledge and skills, whilst empowering facilitators to design and implement an appropriate evaluation method that accurately measures the effectiveness of their applied theatre programmes.
A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Crous, Andre Johan; Hees, Edwin; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates the notion of realism and in particular its applicability to the visual and narrative strategies employed in eight of Michael Winterbottom’s films. Realism is a term that has strong ties to the reality of the viewer, but this reality that governs the conventions for making a judgment on a work’s realism is in constant flux. Likewise, on the side of the film’s production, any number of tactics may be deployed to increase the viewer’s sense of realism and the research undertaken here looks at a variety of approaches to the creation and assessment of realism in a film. Many of the films discussed here are depictions of past events and the tension between the realistic reconstruction of the past and the necessary artifice that is inherent in such representations are studied in the light of the theories of possible and fictional worlds. Possible worlds are constituted by states of affairs that would be possible in the actual world; in the same way, realistic representations reflect the possibilities of the actual world without necessarily being an identical copy of reality. David Lewis’s concept of counterparts plays an important role in the analysis of filmic components, especially when these components are representations of actual entities. In addition to a consideration of counterparts, this dissertation will also look at the role of the “fictional operator” which facilitates discussion about fictional truths. While the fictional operator creates counterparts of actually existing entities and films remain always already fictional, the actual world retains an important role in fiction. In postmodern cinema the viewer is encouraged to use knowledge obtained from other worlds – either actual or imaginary – so as to enhance appreciation (analytical as much as emotional) of the film even more. The concept of realism has been thoroughly problematised, but many strategies continue to connect the events of the fiction either with the “real” world or with other worlds that rival the importance of the “real” world. It is suggested that the so-called “real” world used to measure realism can refer to any world outside the realm of the particular fiction. Realism can be a product of a visual style as well as the particular development of a narrative and in both cases the viewer measures the conditions against her own experience of other worlds. The world of the film is a fictional reality that is sometimes a representation of the actual world, but the relationship between the two worlds can never be completely transparent, in spite of the efforts that many filmmakers have made in this respect.
Contact improvisation as a foundational learning tool for contemporary performers : singular complexity
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04) Prigge-Pienaar, Samantha; Kruger, M. S.; Hofmeyr, J. H. S.; Sellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This artistic research dissertation employs the principles and practices of contact improvisation in a literary performative to describe and demonstrate this somatic form’s potential as a complex system of embodied knowing. For strategic and thematic purposes, chapters in this dissertation are referred to as Streams. The First Stream motivates the methodological approaches and emergent strategies employed in the researcher’s simultaneous practices of teaching, researching and writing about contact improvisation. The Second Stream is offered as an oral testimony of the researcher’s attempt to find practical solutions for the increasing complexity apparent in her work environment during the last two decades. It is written primarily as a first-person narrative with references by other somatic and contact improvisation practitioners embedded in the body of the narrative and presented as personal subconscious/collective unconscious interjections. The Third Stream uses a locally-emergent artistic research strategy termed Secondary Primacy to critically and creatively engage with existing literature. The observations of theorists and practitioners from the researcher’s own context (theatre and drama), as well as from a diversity of interrelated disciplines (including psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, quantum physics, pedagogy and visual art) are presented in an autonomous authorial voice employing the performative strategy of what if. This strategy serves to demonstrate the researcher’s experience of the link between personal subconscious and collective unconscious motivations for action and exposes the transdisciplinary ground upon which many of the ideas and observations voiced in other Streams, in particular about contact improvisation as a complex system of embodied knowing, are implicitly dependent. The Fourth Stream discusses contact improvisation as a complex system foregrounding the particular characteristics of nonlinearity, paradox, emergence and additional capacity introduced in the Second and Third Streams. The Fifth Stream demonstrates convergences and overlaps between contemporary theories about agency, embodiment and transformation as they may apply to educators in tertiary educational performing arts contexts. This discussion is interspersed with accounts of the researcher’s own attempts – through her performing arts educational practice - to understand agency and transformation as workable elements. The Sixth Stream is offered as a personal philosophy of action. The implicit values and strategies of the researcher that were exposed in previous Streams are here distilled and presented as affirmations and Actions motivating the sustained use, by the researcher within her localized educational context, of contact improvisation as a foundational somatic approach for performers. In keeping with the positioning of this dissertation as artistic research, the literary framing devices of a Foreword and Afterword are used to draw a reader’s attention to the practicebased nature of the subject under discussion.
A critical inquiry into the evolution of socio-political performances in traditional Nigeria Yoruba Alarinjo and contemporary itinerant theatre through a review of selected works of Hubert Ogunde, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi and Femi Osofisan
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Bakare, Babatunde Allen; Du Preez, Petrus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the evolution of socio-political theatre and drama performances in Nigeria. The first part consists of the introduction, theory and historical contexts, while the second part discusses the contribution of selected literary dramatists to this evolution of social-political theatre and drama performance in Nigeria. The study specifically focuses on Yoruba Traditional Alarinjo (Travelling) Theatre, contemporary itinerant theatre and selected works of Hubert Ogunde, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi and Femi Osofisan. The theoretical framework of the study is based on three concepts: the Theatrical Event expounded by Wilmar Sauter; Theatre and Festivals as Poly-Systems by Temple Hauptfleisch; and Vicki Ann Cremona’s concept of Festivalising Process. Relevant historical developments are reviewed and analysed in the study. The developments are points of reference to various forms of Yoruba theatre and drama. In addition, the study examines social-political evolutions, especially those that relate to and are useful for the analysis of the inherent evolution of theatre and drama in the Yoruba tradition Alarinjo, the contemporary theatre and the selected works of Nigerian literary dramatists. It further examines Yoruba Traditional Alarinjo (Travelling) Theatrical and dramatic performances and investigates the critical roles of the egungun (masquerades), masques, oral literature and other Yoruba cultural and traditional properties in the performances. This study concludes that the types of performance modes, styles, methods and techniques which were used during the different stages of the evolution of socio-political theatre and drama in Nigeria, are rooted in the vast Yoruba cultural and traditional forms of performing arts. These include forms such as masquerading, oral poetry, folklore or folktale, music, dance, chants, incantation and acrobatic display among others. The study recognises the contribution of the Western culture of entertainment which partly influenced the evolution of socio-political theatre and drama performances of the Yoruba contemporary itinerant theatre. Lastly, this study analyses and reveals the influence of Western education on the mentioned Nigerian Literary Dramatists’ theatre and drama.
Cutting real : self-reflexive editing devices in a selection of contemporary South African documentary films
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-03) Maasdorp, Liani; Hees, Edwin; Dullaart, Gerda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since John Grierson first coined the term “documentary film” in the 1920s, there has been a debate about the objectivity or subjectivity of the filmmaker. Some theoreticians believe that a documentary filmmaker may not interact subjectively with her subject. Contemporary perspectives lean towards acknowledging the subjectivity of the filmmaker, and accept that subjectivity is intrinsic to the making of a documentary film. Some would even argue that it is precisely the subjectivity of the filmmaker – the meeting of an individual, subjective perspective with the pro-filmic world – that makes a particular film unique. Brecht believed that the structure of a theatre piece could be used to counter the audience's uncritical emotional engagement and identification with the content of the work. This Verfremdungseffekt enables the audience to engage intellectually with the work. The audience does not get lost in the content of the piece, but rather views it from a critical distance. Brecht believed that this distantiation does not exclude entertainment, but that the audience would be able to enjoy the production while viewing it from a critical, intellectual distance. The self-reflexive mode of representation is identified by Nichols as one of the primary ways for a filmmaker to engage with her subject. Self-reflexivity entails the inclusion of cues within the film reminding the viewer that it is, indeed, a film. The motivation for this is to make the audience aware of the constructed nature of the film, thereby acknowledging the subjectivity of the filmmaker. The most overt form of self-reflexivity in documentary films is the inclusion of the director in the film. The focus of this study is, however, more specifically on how editing devices can be used to foreground the construction of a film. Structural analysis of a selection of recent South African documentary films is undertaken as part of this study. The result of this in-depth analysis is a list of twenty-eight conspicuous, selfreflexive editing devices used in these films. To test the effect of self-reflexive editing devices, I purposely incorporated them into the construction of a documentary series, Booza TV, of which I was one of the editors. The goal of Booza TV is to change viewers' perceptions of alcohol and alcohol abuse. Both quantitative and qualitative research results pointed to the ability of the series to achieve this goal. The perception change, however, is not the focus of this study. Instead, findings specifically related to the viewer's experience of the editing of the production are analysed. These findings show that viewers do notice self-reflexive devices, that the devices can contribute to their enjoyment of the production and that self-reflexive devices are able to communicate subtext to the audience. The conclusion is drawn from the research conducted in this study that the potential of a documentary film to change viewers' perceptions is as dependent on the way the film has been constructed as it is on the content of the film.
Drama-opleiding : ’n ondersoek na die aard, implementering en uitkomste van kurrikula in Suid-Afrikaanse skole
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-03) Pretorius, Mareli Hattingh; Kruger, M. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the past drama education was an uncommon occurrence in South African schools, limited to the elective subject Speech and Drama at secondary level, which was only offered in a few schools in some of the provinces. The assumption is made that the introduction of Arts and Culture as one of the eight learning areas in Curriculum 2005 has greatly impacted on drama education at school level. This study aims to determine the state of affairs with regards to drama education within the current (2011) education system by investigating the nature, implementation and outcomes of drama curricula in South African schools. In the context of the far-reaching changes that has occurred in South African education since 1994, a historical overview of education before 1994 is given to act as a backdrop for a discussion of the process of education reform. The shift to an outcomes-based education approach is investigated by defining and discussing it in relation to the chosen South-African approach; identifying and discussing the theories and philosophies underpinning an outcomes-based approach to education; and looking at the national curriculum from its introduction as Curriculum 2005 until the recent revision of the National Curriculum Statement (Grades R-9), which will be phased into schools from 2012 as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. A comparative evaluation of the drama curricula in the current (2011) National Curriculum Statement (Grade R-12) and the drama curricula in the revised Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement serves as the means to determine the nature, content and outcomes of the drama curricula. The Africanisation of the drama curricula is investigated and it becomes apparent that indigenous knowledge, traditions, customs and cultural practices are successfully included in the drama curricula. The comparative evaluation also leads to the conclusion that the revised national curriculum is a definite improvement on the status quo. Through the investigation of the nature and outcomes of the different drama curricula, it is possible to identify specific requirements for the successful implementation of drama curricula. With these requirements in mind possible challenges and/or problem areas with regards to the implementation of drama curricula are determined and discussed. These challenges and/or problem areas are the following: the curriculum itself, the socio-economic circumstances of schools and learners, language issues, the status of drama education at school level, time allocation and management, funding and infrastructure, and teacher training.
Hyperartifical cinema and the art of cool
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002-04) Bain, Keith Norman; Hauptfleisch, Temple; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis, an ontology of contemporary cinema is developed using the position assumed by postmodern thinkers (notably Jean Baudrillard) and contemporary filmmakers. Using Baudrillard's perspective it is argued that the cinematic apparatus is an expression of both human curiosity and a desire to place "reality" at a distance. While the spectator seeks involvement with the viewed subject, he or she remains detached from the images which simulate the various "realities" in which he or she becomes "involved" through the act of viewing. The contemporary Western subject is said to crave "meaning" in a universe which is increasingly secular, materialistic, individualistic and, to a certain extent, "virtual". Life is also said to be more ironic, providing illusory concessions such as communication in lieu of interaction, information instead of knowledge, choice in favour of quality, surfaces rather than depth, and images which ultimately extinguish "the real". Moving images may be said to allude to the artificial nature of a "reality" which is itself a human construction. This suggests that the role of the camera is to place both the world and human subjects "at a distance", thereby objectifying (and potentially dehumanising) the subject-objects of the gaze. Many postmodern films are concerned with the functioning of the cinematic apparatus itself, and these films - implicitly and explicitly - deal with the way in which subjectivity is established through the cinematic gaze. "Realism" in the cinema has to a large extent shifted from the documentation of the world, to techniques which problematise the viewer's experience of "reality". Interactivity, faux-verité and the hyperrealism of computer graphic imaging, have contributed to the confusion of various forms of screen "realism", arguably impacting on the viewer's experience of "reality". In another sense, "reality" has been transformed by the blurring of distinctions between high and low cultural paradigms, increasingly evident in work that privileges the showing of "perverse", "profane", "grotesque", "vulgar" and explicit "realities". Boundaries between private and publiC spaces are eroded as the cinematic apparatus takes spectators into increasingly intimate personal spaces, demystifying and popularising the unknown and previously hidden. Considering the influence of commercial and socio-economic factors on the development of contemporary cinema (emphasizing Hollywood), the thesis looks at the aesthetic, thematic and narrative concerns of both mainstream and niche-market films. Focus is given to the socalled postmodern aesthetic which is closely linked to what some critics call recycling (an inability to say anything "new"), some label "empty" (meaningless) and many see as "schizoid" (able to be read in various, often contradictory, ways). The thesis proposes that contemporary (postmodern) cinema is a "pure" form which increasingly sets "reality" at a distance so that it's illusory nature is emphasised. It also demonstrates how contemporary films serve as reflections of a world which is itself nothing but a reflection (artificial construction). Like dreams, fantasies and other "virtual realities", the cinema represents a form of "remembering" which is detached from any particular time or space. In this sense, cinematic moving images enable viewers to engage with aspects of their own humanity which may be quite independent of the "reality" status of the world.
Identifying and exploring key principles of the clown in theatre – a practice-led approach
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03) Van Wyk, Klara; Prigge-Pienaar, Samantha; Davison, Jon; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study, an artistic research methodology is employed to identify principles of clowning as they are practiced in contemporary clown training workshops, to then offer applications of these within a South African theatre context. Autoethnographic accounts and fictional narratives offer an exploration of the practice of clowning from a personal perspective in multiple roles as clown performer, student, educator and observer, supplemented by an interpretive analysis of existing literature. The past decade has seen a significant increase in allusions to the term ‘clown theatre’ on formal theatre and performance platforms, as well as in critical and practice-based literature. This selfproclaimed category of theatre is yet to be sufficiently theorised and historicised. Both ‘clown’ and ‘theatre’ remain persistently contested and evolving practices. In this study, the term ‘clown theatre’ is employed as a springboard from which to interrogate the complexities of the clown’s presence in contemporary theatre, with the aim of generating dialogue and supporting further innovation in practice. Six case studies of contemporary performance identified as or aligned with ‘clown theatre’ are presented to explore the terminology and practices employed by practitioners. The study uses participant-observation methods to understand principles of clowning as they are currently grounded in training approaches focused on laughter as a marker of success, indicating audience appreciation. Particular attention is paid to practitioners Jacques Lecoq and Phillipe Gaulier and their lineage of clown teaching as it has emerged in the methods employed by contemporary pedagogues such as Jon Davison and Mick Barnfather. Secondary sources are then used to position these clown principles in relation to the historical presence of clown figures on stage, with an emphasis on Bertolt Brecht’s conceptualisation of the clown as protagonist. By critically addressing the multi-faceted approaches to engendering laughter within clown training and performance, this practice-led study uncovers the benefits and challenges that lie in translating clowning into contemporary theatre practice.
Ikoon en Medium: die toneelpop, masker en akteurmanipuleerder in Afrika-performances
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-12) Du Preez, Petrus; Kruger, M. S.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama. Centre for Theatre Research.
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.
Indigenous performance and modernity : investigating the vitality of play and work songs of the Dagaaba community in North Western Ghana as verbal art performance
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-03) Ismaila, Margaret; Pretorius, Mareli Hattingh; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study looks at play and work songs of the Dagaaba in north western Ghana as verbal art performance and how modernity has influenced the vitality of these indigenous performances. Performance studies remain a contested subject as it cuts across disciplines. However, the overarching theme in scholarship on performance defines it as a paradigm-driven concept which needs to be discussed in context. Aligning with this position, play and work songs of the Dagaaba is studied as performance in the context of an activity in motion as theorised by Richard Schechner. By investigating the vitality of play and work songs of the Dagaaba, I set out to draw attention to the declining nature of indigenous performance. I argue that social change, an inevitable phenomenon which has swept through the Dagaaba land, has halted the motion of play and work songs performances – hence its vitality – and call for alternative platforms to revitalise performances to ensure continuity. Using the qualitative approach, this study focuses on play and work songs as indigenous art forms among the Dagaaba. The main objective of this study is to unearth the influence of modernity on indigenous Dagaaba performances. Specifically, the study seeks to investigate the role of play and work songs as traditional verbal art performances in the Dagaaba community. The study also aims at exploring the manifestations of modernity in the Dagaaba community as well as analyses the perceived impacts of modernity on play and work song performances of the Dagaaba. In addition, the study investigates alternative platforms for indigenous performances. The study finds farming, domestic chores, recreation, environmental rituals, ancestor veneration, and rites of passage as some platforms that sanction the performance of indigenous art forms. The study however finds that modernity has influenced these performances and identifies formal education, Christianity, technology, industrialisation, and urbanisation among others as causes of this change. The study discovers meeting places of identifiable groups and competitions of indigenous performances as alternative platforms for continuity and vitality of play and work songs performances. The study reveals, based on songs collected, that play and work songs satisfy Bauman’s analysis of verbal art as performance. Analysis of songs collected responds to what Baumann identified as the frames of communication, communication devices and keying in performance which provides the audience a structure within which to interpret and appreciate the text. The study contributes to scholarship on performance studies by propounding play and work songs as accessorial performance. It concludes that though play and work songs are vital in the social organisation of the Dagaaba, they are gradually losing their places due to the influence of modernity.
Investigating process drama as methodology to address sensitive curriculum content in secondary schools in Lesotho
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Malibo, Rethabile Khantse; Pretorius, Mareli Hattingh; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) was introduced in Lesotho in 2005 by the Lesotho government through the Ministry of Education and Training. The introduction of the subject was a response to the prevailing socio-cultural climate in Lesotho of early sexual debut for both boys and girls, high and increasing rates of HIV/AIDS, early and unintended pregnancies and marriages, illegal abortion, as well as drug and alcohol abuse amongst the adolescent population. The aim of this study is to investigate a process drama inspired pedagogy that teachers can use in teaching sensitive curriculum content, specifically comprehensive sexuality education. By extension, the study also intends to promote and encourage the employment of arts, specifically process drama, in formal education spaces. The study employs a qualitative research design consisting of two parts: a literature review, based primarily on secondary data collection, and primary data collection in the form of a participatory practical exploration within an action research approach. The literature study looks at the context of sexuality education and contestations surrounding it, the principles and characteristic of the subject and the implementation of the subject in Lesotho. It also includes the theoretical and conceptual framework of the study. Theories discussed focus on two entities: the teacher and the teaching model as the primary subjects, and the learners as a secondary entity. These theories include, constructivism (both cognitive and social), the Conceptual Change Model (CCM), positioning theory, the Health Belief Model, and psychosocial theory. Lastly the literature review addresses process drama as a form of applied drama. The primary data collection for this study was carried out in Lesotho and the population consisted of secondary school teachers from all ten districts, who teach comprehensive sexuality education. A total of fifty-two teachers were initially involved in the study, but as the study progressed the numbers decreased. Questionnaires, interviews, and process drama workshops were employed to produce primary data. The findings indicate that teachers do not understand CSE and have developed a negative attitude towards it. Teaching the subject negatively impacts their social standing not only in the school, but also in the community. They are of the view that teaching the subject might corrupt the sexual innocence of the learners or create learners eager to experiment with their newfound knowledge. Consequently, teachers design CSE content using their own biographies and employ a dictatorial methodology in class. The findings further suggest that teachers are appreciative of the role process drama can play in teaching sensitive curriculum content, but as it was a new pedagogy, they struggled to acquaint themselves with some of the conventions involved in the process. Despite observed challenges, the potential for process drama as an effective teaching method for sensitive curriculum content was confirmed. This study therefore highlights the significant role that the arts – and specifically process drama – can play within formal education spaces.
The life and work of Yvonne Bryceland : an arts-based investigation
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Hofer, Alison Renee; Prigge-Pienaar, Samantha; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation spotlights South African actress and theatre practitioner Yvonne Bryceland, who earned respect and admiration during her lifetime but has largely been marginalised in South African theatre history. Chapter One addresses the motivations and methods for the study, offering an explanation of my context as an artistic researcher/educator. A brief biography of Bryceland is provided followed by a description of the extensive process of gathering information from a variety of sources, including personal communications and interviews with friends, colleagues and family members, as well as archival material and documented footage of staged and filmed performances. The various approaches taken in discussing Bryceland’s quality of acting are explained, and reasons for how and why new discoveries and adaptations were made during the research process. In Chapter Two, Bryceland’s life story is captured and distilled in an arts-based research artefact, Dancing with Darkness. The screenplay as heuristic was used to reveal Bryceland as the central character in a dramatic period of South African theatre history. From this focal point, further discussion about Bryceland is offered exploring three distinct, but overlapping, aspects, namely: the extraordinary quality of her acting work; her collaborations with well-known playwright Athol Fugard; and her establishment, with Fugard and her husband Brian Astbury, of The Space as a radically alternative theatre. Chapter Three discusses how the quality of Bryceland’s acting work often led colleagues and audiences to describe her performances in words that capture a sense of magic and awe. In attempting to describe Bryceland’s acting techniques and position her as an exemplary South African actress, this chapter reveals how the discussion was broadened and deepened to incorporate metaphysical notions for which the Spanish concept of duende was applied and adapted as a potent symbol for Bryceland’s artistry. Together with Fugard, Bryceland contributed some outstanding plays to South Africa theatre history, which offer traces of the country’s social and political evolution from the 1970s to 1990s. Chapter Three explores the intensity of the artistic symbiosis between Bryceland and Fugard, and their focus on their theatre art as a means to express truth. Chapter Four describes what led to the establishment of The Space theatre by Bryceland, Fugard and Astbury; to what extent the theatre work being done at The Space was different; and Bryceland’s determination that the theatre remain open to casts and audiences of all races. This chapter in particular reveals The Space as a veritable hothouse for new talent, providing well-known actors, writers and directors their first opportunities in theatre practice, as well as serving as a catalyst for the establishment of similar theatres in South Africa. The concluding chapter highlights the significant impact that Bryceland has had on the nature and voice of South African theatre, by her contributions to the philosophy and practice of diverse practitioners, and as such positions Bryceland as deserving consideration as one of the key figures in South African theatre history.
Luister-leer : die opvoedkundige moontlikhede van die hoorspel in Suid-Afrika
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-12) Cruywagen, Eben; Hauptfleisch, Temple; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The aim of this study is to ascertain what the nature of educational drama is and whether it would be feasible to apply educational radio drama to help meet the learning needs of South Mrica. In England, the well-known educational radio serial, The Archers, has been broadcast by the BBC with great success since the Fifties. Hitherto radio drama in South Mrica has served primarily as a means to entertain listeners. The study began with research into other didactic forms, such as folklore, drama- and theatre-in -education, industrial theatre and sociodrama, as well as radio and television as educational media. Further information was collected by means of interviews and correspondence. Two experimental radio productions, a series and a serial, were broadcast in Mrikaans in 1997 and 1998 respectively on a national radio station, Radiosondergrense, in an attempt to determine the formula for, and the format of, outcomes based radio drama for a South Mrican audience. Included in this study are copies of scripts (industrial theatre, television drama, radio drama) and the scripts of the two experimental radio productions. Each script is accompanied by an analysis and evaluation. Recordings of the two experiments are also included. According to the results of a professional market research campaign, the outcomes based radio drama proved not only to be a popular educational tool, but also very accessible, since very few listeners felt excluded by such a format. Over and above its inclusive nature, the enjoyment level of the experimental serial drama was ranked among the highest of all (non-educational) programmes by respondents. The knowledge gained through researching available sources, coupled with the results of the market research, was used to formulate a text model, together with hints and directions. With these aids, all language groups in South Mrica may create outcomes based radio drama within the framework of language, culture and listeners' needs.
"Memory is a weapon" : the uses of history and myth in selected post-1960 Kenyan, Nigerian and South African plays
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-12) Hutchison, Yvette; Hauptfleisch, Temple; Breitinger, H. E. (Habil Eckhard); Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In hierdie proefskrif word gekyk na die verwantskap tussen geskiedenis, mite, geheue en teater. Daar word ook gekyk na die mate waartoe historiese of mitiese toneelstukke gebruik kan word om die amptelike geheue en identiteite, soos deur bewindhebbers in post-koloniale Nigerie en Kenya geskep, terug kon wen of uit kon daag. Hierdie werke word dan vergelyk met die soort teater wat tydens die Apartheidbewind in Suid-Afrika geskep is, om verskille en ooreenkomste in die gebruik van historiese en mitiese gegewens te bekyk. Die slotsom is dat een van die belangrikste kenmerke van die teater in vandag se samelewing sy vermod is om alternatiewe historiese narratiewe te ontwikkel wat kan dien as teen-geheue ("counter-memory") vir die dominante narratief van amptelike geskiedenisse. Sodoende bevraagteken die teater dan ook 'n liniere en causale siening van die geskiedenis, maar interpreteer dit eerder as meervoudig en kompleks.
'n Ondersoek na kinderteater as 'n moontlike tersiere toneelspelonderrigmeganisme
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Van der Merwe, Schalk Willem; Du Preez, Petrus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the current actor-training approach for students in South Africa and how this training is presented at tertiary level. The starting point for the study is the Drama Department, Stellenbosch University. Various approaches to actor-training elements are initially compared to international trends. The term integration was further investigated to create a working definition for the study. Subsequently, the successful level of integration of various actor-training elements is investigated. As an approach to this investigation, the Stanislavski system is examined in the light of the exaggerated acting style and conventions of children's theatre. Following this, various research activities were executed. Art-based research is used as a paradigm for these research activities and the relationship between Research Led Practice and Practice Led Research is applied. Self-reflective data was collected and artistically presented as exegesis in the thesis. Research activity 1 has delineated the term children's theatre, including the conventions and style of the theatrical form, so that it can be explored in practice. The Stanislavski system in Research Activity 2 was researched and tested through the theoretical framework applied within practice. Various components of the system as an approach to actor-training are emphasized. From Research Activity 2, two actor-training models are created (in Research Activities 3 and 4, respectively) to test an approach to the successful integration of actor-training elements within an exaggerated acting style. The research and methodological approach has led to the application of the theories being highlighted, in that it identifies, addresses and improves the successful level of integration during acting. Although the Stanislavski system has been used as an approach, other approaches can also be used. Children's theatre as an exaggerated acting style can also be replaced with other exaggerated acting styles, such as the farce.
Reclaiming cultural space through performance : the intercultural activities of the Ghana Dance Ensemble (1964-2013)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Rashida, Resario; Du Preez, Petrus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation examines the intercultural practices of the Ghana Dance Ensemble (GDE) from 1964 to 2014. Intercultural performance, often defined as an intentional artistic encounter between diverse cultural sensibilities, has become important in the increasingly globalising world. In recent decades, intercultural performance has attracted a wealth of scholarship and theoretical attempts, as theorists investigate the nature and purpose of such encounters. Such scholarship on intercultural performances has largely come from the Western world as a result of the pioneering work in ‘conscious cultural exchange’ by practitioners like Antonin Artaud, Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine and others in the twentieth century and into the 21st century. While critical interculturalism has concentrated on the need for a more nuanced and balanced view of intercultural theatre practice and scholarship, it appears to have neglected intercultural practices between cultures within a nation. By investigating the intercultural activities of the Ghana Dance Ensemble, I set out to address the gap with a micro-concentration in this study. I argue that, since the diverse ethnic groups within Ghana have distinct cultural traditions and languages, interactions between these cultures at the level of performance, qualify for discussion as intercultural performance rather than Rustom Bharucha’s ‘intracultural’ performance. In order to understand the nature of the intercultural activities of the Ghana Dance Ensemble, I define the inter-ethnic performance activities of the group within the nation as micro-intercultural performance, and the international exchanges and performance activities as macro-intercultural performance. This view of inter-ethnic performance as intercultural performance at the micro-level suggests that parallels exist between discourses on intercultural practice at the macro-level, and inter-ethnic performance within the nation. Matrixing postcolonial theory and intercultural performance theory, this qualitative single-case study adopts an interpretivist paradigm to examine both the micro- and macro-intercultural performance activities of the GDE. Through discourse analysis, I examine the historical conditions that led to the formation of the GDE and how macro-intercultural issues of power relations, ethics of representation and cultural hegemony find resonances at the micro-level due to ethnic differences. Furthermore, the GDE’s position as a postcolonial product cannot be overlooked when discussing its external relations; exchanges and festival participation, with imperialistic cultures that have a tendency of ‘othering’ foreign cultures. The ethnic diversity of the GDE and its multi-ethnic repertoire of dances, and musical and vocal styles, present a utopian view of the nation as a perfect example of the concept of unity in diversity. However, the reality of ethnic difference, as experienced and performed by the members of the GDE, fractures this utopian view of the company and the nation at large. In its fifty years’ existence the GDE, with its micro-intercultural performance practices, has succeeded in bringing diverse indigenous cultural traditions of Ghana to Ghanaians for mutual appreciation, even as the members work through their own internal ethnic differences. The study also reveals that, while the GDE exercises its own form of agency in macro-intercultural encounters, the company is not shielded from the hegemonic constructs with which its European partners approach the exchange. That notwithstanding, there seems to be a meeting ground between the GDE’s focus on authenticity and that of international festival organisers. While the GDE by design promotes authentic Ghanaian cultural traditions, festival organisers ride on such authentic traditions to promote their events. This study contributes to scholarship on intercultural performance by concentrating on micro-level encounters and drawing parallels between encounters at the macroand micro-levels. It concludes that micro-level intercultural performance may hold the key to addressing ethical issues in macrolevel intercultural performance discourse.
Representation of albinism and persons with albinism in narratives from East and Southern Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-03) Spemba, Spemba Elias; Slabbert, Mathilda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines representations of albinism and characters or subjects with albinism in a selection of literary and cultural texts set in, and from, East and Southern Africa. The analysis brings together contemporary fictional, auto/biographical, and short documentary film representations produced between 2009 and 2020, a period marked by an increased production of texts dealing with albinism in the African context. The study considers how characters or actual people with albinism (PWA) and historical, socio-cultural, and medical perceptions or discourses of albinism are narrated, portrayed, and framed to focus on the manner in which issues of agency emerge in the representations. Given the variety of issues that intersect with albinism in the texts studied, my study is a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural reading of the representations of albinism and individuals with albinism. My research converses with theories and germane criticism from a scope of disciplines and fields such as disability studies, gender studies, (African) philosophy, narrative theory, and life narrative studies. My research establishes that literary and cultural texts are a site where public and private agency of subjects and characters with albinism is (re)configured and where various perceptions describing albinism and persons with albinism are (de)constructed and (re)conceptualized.
Selected black African dramatists South of the Zambezi
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2003-04) Litkie, Celeste Avril; Hauptfleisch, Temple; Schauffer, Dennis; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Late twentieth century theatre studies has been characterised by an expansion of the notion of theatre to encompass an enormous variety of performance-based activities. A range of pioneering academics and practitioners have moved beyond the old European-American paradigm of the literary theatre, to recognize the unique qualities of the performance as a theatrical artefact in its own right. One of the by-products of this paradigm shift has been what some would term the death - or at least diminution - of the dramatist or playwright. Another has been the (re-)discovery of what is vaguely referred to as "African theatre". This study had no intention of taking up the argument about the precise forms and processes that belong under that rubric, nor the many problems associated with such categorizing. It has a much more mundane aim, namely to look at one form of play creation - formal playwriting - in a specified region of the vast African continent, south of the Zambezi. The focus is very specifically on published or written texts, created and produced in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. For a variety of reasons not all these countries could be studied, but enough material was found to arrive at some initial conclusions. In this respect, this is a pioneering study, since no such comparative survey has yet been done. Based on a previous pilot study by Dennis Schauffer at the University of Durban-Westville, the study utilises a process model of the theatrical system proposed by Temple Hauptfleisch (1997) as a frame of reference and a range of four basic kinds of data to answer a number of questions to study the writers and their works. The materials utilized are: 1. Play scripts 2. Biographical data, press cuttings, video recordings, articles. 3. Interviews and interviewer's journal entries. 4. Studies of the socio-political milieu. Data was gathered on 12 writers and their works, as well as some substantial information on community theatre and related forms in the region. The primary authors discussed in some detail are Gibson Kente, Zakes Mda, Gcina Mhlope, Matsemela Manaka, Fani-Kayode Osazuwa Omoregie, Freddy Philander, Vickson Tablah Hangula, Tsokolo Muso (Tjotela mor'a Moshpela), Sonny Sampson-akpan, Andreas Mavuso, and Sipho Mtetwa. With this data the study seeks to address a number of questions concerning playwriting in the sub-continent. These include: 1. a comparison of existing performance forms and their relationships to oral traditions; 2. the influence of socio-political contexts on the works produced; 3. the relationship between plays and the other media, such as film and television; 4. a consideration of audiences (or target audiences) and their impact on the form and content of works; 5. the impact of the nature of, access to and availability of venues; 6. the role played by funding and relationships to state institutions; 7. language choices and their impact on the arts; 8. And finally, the interesting question of cross-cultural encounters and their influence on the forms of theatre in the region. This set of questions provide the context for a study of the variety of theatrical and performance output generated in Africa, south of the Zambezi, and to identify some common and/or divergent cultural influences in the works of the selected black African dramatists in the southern sub-continent of Africa. As expected, one such common denominator was the oral tradition, the other was the colonial heritage of western, Eurocentric theatre and literary practices. The dynamic between these traditions proved to be a point of some interest, but also posed many methodological problems. Two other major factors in many of the countries have proven to be the lack of a strong theatrical infrastructure and divergent audience expectations, which have led to a proliferation of non-formal and applied theatre processes (e.g. in political theatre, popular theatre, community theatre, theatre for development, etc), which in their turn pose their own methodological problems for researchers. In the final analysis, given the restraints under which the candidate had to work, the study could only look at some interesting but selected authors, who in their works seem to illustrate some of the variety and energy of the widely dispersed region. Hopefully in doing this it provided a few broad indications of important trends. More importantly perhaps, the study did identify a number of areas for future research. It would seem that, besides a tremendous need to do considerably more work on the collection and archiving of data on theatre and performance systems, practitioners and practice in Southern Africa, there are at least three additional areas of research that require particular attention: 1. the development of an appropriate theatre research methodology for application in the region; 2. a study of the role played by foreign nationals; 3. the setting up of a national and continent-wide database on theatre in Africa.

Browse

Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Drama) by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options