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THE FLOW OF POWER OF STORY-TELLING

BETWEEN ACTOR AND SPECTATOR

Master of Fine Art in Scenography, HKU


Thinking: Theory 1 -2014/2015
YiLing, Hung

Spatial separation or spatial blur


!
The experiences in theatre are basically built upon visual perception. In the setting of
traditional theatre, spectators are normally spatially separated from the stage, they stayed in the
auditorium watched the performance through their eyes, maybe in some cases, also combined
with senses of touch, hear or smell. But the fact is the clearly spatial separation between actors
and spectators. Through the development of postmodern theatre, the spaces for both actors
and spectators in one performance become bigger and wider, or sometimes, smaller and
narrower. This change blurs the border between the two groups. What do I mean the spaces
for actors and spectators become bigger? Nowadays, it is often to see actors starting the
performance or even performing among audiences, and on the other hand, spectators are
asked to sit on the stage where the performers act or dance. The extension of space creates the
possibility for spectators experiencing the performance in different visual angles, which
influences not only the interpretation for the story but also the definitions of roles beside you (as
a spectator). Who are actors? Who are spectators? Is there any pure actor or spectator
anymore?

A story by one story-line or a story woven by story-lines


!
The spatial blur creates different visual or other sensuous experiences, then what
happen to the plot of the performance? If we analyze the layout of the traditional theatre, the
spectators sit from a certain distance to the stage, so they can see the whole scenes on the
stage, the story-line could be easily puzzled while watching. When we talk about the
performances today, it will be another situation. In some cases, when spectators participate in
an performance, they are asked to sit besides actors, at that moment each of them is kind of in
a situation of sitting on the stage, becoming one part of the scene. What you see through your
eyes will be only small parts of the whole pictures, because you are in it. It might become an
obstacle to know what is going on at the other side of the stage. In some other cases,
spectators have the freedom to walk around on the stage while performance is going on. What
will happen then? When they move their body among actors, they can make decisions where to
sit/stand, what perspective to focus on...etc..
!
From different theatrical layouts (here the theatrical layout means the arrangement of
stage and auditorium), we can discover they influence how the stories are conveyed by actors
and how the stories are puzzled by spectators. In postmodern theatre, for example, even the
actors perform the story in a way as the traditional theatre, which tells a story from the start to
the end according to a clear story-line, but because of the spatial blur between actors and
spectators, for those spectators who read the story by watching or experiencing, they can only
see parts of the story in one glimpse. Instead of understanding the whole story in a sequential
order, (as sitting in the auditorium to watch a performance on the stage.) the spectators
nowadays seems have more power to organize stories themselves according to what they
received during the event.

The freedom of interpretation or the limitation of interpretation


!
In the last paragraph, I mentioned the layouts in theatre have influence on story-telling,
and the spatial blur gives more freedom to spectators to reform the story themselves. But is it
true that in postmodern theatre, it creates a situation for spectators have more freedom to
interpret stories themselves? No matter in traditional theatre or postmodern theatre, when
spectators buy the tickets and enter a theatre, actually they have already decided to leave the
real world behind, and enter a man-made world for a few hours. There might be no freedom for
spectators to interpret their own stories from performances, even in the postmodern theatre, the

freedom is given restrictedly in reconstructing the story by their own visual and other sensuous
experiences during performances.

The flow of power between actor and spectator


!
If we define the whole performance is counted from the producing process until the
curtain falls, then what is the sifts of power during a performance? At the first beginning, when
actors work on building up a story, it is a period when there is no any spectator participating in,
of course the actors lead the whole direction of the play, story, atmosphere, etc.. The actors
keep the power of leadership until the debut date: for example, deciding the route for spectators
to enter the hall, how many people can participate per time or what kind of positions for
watching, etc..Then until when they transfer the leadership to spectators? Actually in my
opinion, the moment spectators hold the power of leadership is only just a few minutes, or
maybe even shorter, seconds. When spectators are asked to knee down and crawl to the seats,
when they need to change a funny costumes before enter the hall, or when they get a faked
official documents to sign, etc., they have the right to make a decision to participate in, or not. If
he or she decided to join the game, at that moment when the positive decision is made, his or
her leadership transfers back to the actors. Even during the whole performance, spectators
have the freedom to move their bodies or choose their own seats, they are still under a manmade story structure, which is woven by different elements.
!
Furthermore, if we compare the power of actor in traditional theatre and postmodern
theatre, does the later one have less control and give more freedom to spectators for
interpretation? By using more complicated elements or story-lines to build up a story, it is crucial
to put things on the spot precisely, that is why I think nowadays, actors actually put much more
control in a play. Even though it seems that we, as spectators, have more power to recompose
the story-lines ourselves, but no matter how we puzzle back the pieces which we catch
individually during the performance, we still can get the similar whole image, that might because
of the precise control by actors. The freedom the spectators have in postmodern theatre is
actually an illusion of accurate control and meticulous calculation by actors.

Reference:
1. Petrus, Georgius, Franciscus. Summary The Space of the Theatre. Academisch
Proefschirift. De Ruimte Van Het Theater. 22 Nov. 1996
2. Erika, Fischer-Lichte. Shared bodies, shared spaces - The bodily co-presence of actors and
spectators.
3. Erika, Fischer-Lichte. Discovering The Spectator - changes to the Paradigm of Theatre in the
Twentieth Century. Theatre As Culture.
4. Maaike, Bleeker. Dissecting Visuality in the Theatre - Introduction. Visuality in the Theatre.
5. Liesbeth, Groot, Nibbelink. Jan Wolkers, or the woolly blanket.

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