Today in class we touched upon the concept that most performances have been performed before. Nothing is completely original and, as we discussed last Wednesday, we constantly rely on other people and other influences. As Schechner states in his article, "What Is Performance?," action "consists of twice-behaved behaviors" and "there is no such thing as 'once-behaved behavior'" (23).
This concept can be seen in multiple scenes throughout "As You Like It," but a well-known example is in Act II, scene vii. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts" (139-142). Although each player has their own separate performance, they each play the same roles. As Schechner states, "the uniqueness of an event is not in its materiality but in its interactivity" (23). Our interactions and relations with others are what set our personal performances apart from others', although they will never be truly original.
2 comments:
This is a very interesting idea to think about; especially from a theatre major's view point. For example, this week in one of my acting classes we are reading from "Sanford Meisner On Acting", which is a biography on Meisner's life and technique. Basically, Meisner's big idea is to "create believable action under imaginary circumstances." So as an actor, we strive for truly original and honest performances. However, after reading Schechner's words, I also agree with the idea that anything you may perform is simply an unoriginal recreation of a task you've seen someone else perform. Therefor, I believe a happy medium can be found between observation and true honesty to create the most impressive performance.
This entire concept is both depressing and exhilarating to me. At first when I read this portion of the play, I was depressed by the concept that I could not create anything original. I did not like the idea that I was just a small piece of the world and that my individualism was obsolete. However, when I thought about it more the idea Shakespeare is expressing becomes beautiful. In a way, this whole concept is saying that all of us have a role in the world that is equally important to that of any other person. While it is true that what we create is not completely original, it may be original for our time. This idea is heartening to me.
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.