The main objective of this course unit is the study of the relations between literature and stage productions, particularly insofar as the latter are based on a pre-existing texts. At the core of this course unit is the concept of performativity, which is operative, in varying degrees, in the initial descriptions of the performing arts and came under direct theoretical scrutiny in the second half of the 20th century. Thus, the study of the relations between words and their staging will begin with a theoretical reflection whose aim is to understanding the consequences and conditions of possibility of performance as such, which will allow for the inclusion not just of music and dance but also of the performative dimension of literature not specifically written for the stage or other types of staged performance.
1. Performing Arts 2. Literature 3. Performance Theory 4. Theater Studies
The students enrolled in this course unit will become familiar with the most general and persistent problems in the study and definition of the performing arts, in their relationship to literature, including problems and concepts specifically related to notions of performance, performativity and the staging of the written word. The competences students will be expected to develop during the course of the semester are the following: • The capacity to define, contextualize and apply concepts in the history of the theatre and the performing arts from diverse historical periods, ranging from classical antiquity to the present day; • The capacity to mobilize diverse cultural, intellectual and artistic references in the construction of an individual critical discourse centred on the relationship between literature and the performing arts; • The capacity to define and carry out an individual research project based on the concepts, problems and works studied in this course unit.
1. "Performance" and "performing arts": definition and delimitation of concepts
2. From text to stage: relations between literary discourse and stage languages . Specificity of the dramatic text vs. adaptation of texts not written for the stage. . Analysis from the text to the play: the spoken word and scenic contexts of situation. . Semiotics of the show: the articulation of words with nonverbal sign systems.
3. Spectacular analysis . Analysis tools: their identification and features. . The place of text in the spectacular phenomenon. . The combination of languages: the verbal and nonverbal elements . . The reception of the show: forms and templates. . Types/typologies of shows.
BORIE, Monique et al., Estética Teatral. Textos de Platão a Brecht. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1996. DAVIES, David. The Philosophy of the Performing Arts. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. GOLDBERG, Roselee. A Arte da Performance - do futurismo ao presente. Lisboa: Antígona, 2007. RYNGAERT, Jean-Pierre. Introdução à Análise do Teatro. Lisboa:Edições Asa, 1992. SCHECHNER, Richard. Performance Studies. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge, 2006. SOLMER, Antonino (dir.). Manual de Teatro. Lisboa: Temas e Debates, 2003. WALLIS, Mick e SHEPHERD, Simon. Studying Plays. London: Arnold, 1998.
E-learning
Evaluation is made on individual basis and it involves the coexistence of two modes: continuous assessment (60%) and
final evaluation (40%). Further information is detailed in the Learning Agreement of the course unit.
