John Battye - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by John Battye

Research paper thumbnail of Navigating Digitally-Mediated Theatre with Intermediaturgy

Traditional dramaturgical practice does not adequately account for how emergent digital media can... more Traditional dramaturgical practice does not adequately account for how emergent digital media can interact with elements of performance in intermedial theatre, leading to an art form that is critically and compositionally inaccessible. When live and not-live components interact on stage, how does that reflect a contemporary notion of the body? And how does theatre that grapples with this interaction speak to the digital beyond the stage? This thesis explores the impact of media on notions of the body, identity, and space through a new genre of theatre, called digitally-mediated theatre (DMT). The increasing reliance on media platforms as a form of social exchange and digital media saturation have created a society that is integrated, infested, and extended by the media. DMT artists criticize this media relationship and encourage mindful awareness of its influence by taking the self-same digital media technology, embedding it in performance. A selection of DMT performances will be analyzed using an intermediaturgical process to break down the mechanisms that are used to play with notions of body, identity, and space. As intermediaturgy is concerned with human perception and navigation of mediated environments, this will allow for an analytical framework that will be resistant to obsolescence as digital media technology continues to evolve. By demonstrating this method of analysis, the aim of this thesis is to help clarify a field at odds with itself, demystify the artists from their auteur status, and increase the accessibility of the form to new and emerging artists and students of the arts. iii Acknowledgements This thesis was made possible by the support of the University of Alberta Drama Department, providing funding and academic support to complete the requirements of this degree. Through my PhD career I have also been supported through funding for research and academic pursuits by MacEwan University, Dalhousie University, Ignite Afrika Trust, and grants and scholarships earned and awarded through the Drama Department.

Research paper thumbnail of Rural as Translocal: An Alternative to National Identity in Canadian Theatre

Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of... more Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.

Research paper thumbnail of Investigating processes of internalisation of values through theatre for development

Journal of Social and Political Psychology

Used in many communities, Theatre for Development (TfD) allows performers and audiences to interr... more Used in many communities, Theatre for Development (TfD) allows performers and audiences to interrogate their cultural history and their society to promote positive social change. While many scholars have investigated the impact of TfD on audiences, very little research has investigated the psychological impact on the performers. This study attempts to fill this research gap by interviewing participants in a theatre creation project about their views on contentious social issues before, during, and after the creation of scenes involving such themes. We hypothesized that, by performing counterattitudinal and/or unfamiliar behaviours, cognitive dissonance should arise in the performers, which should result in some level of internalisation and attitude change. Results support the hypothesis, particularly in regard to the themes of ethnicity and gender (in)equality, and point to the value of using TfD processes in divided communities. This has implications for many fields, including inte...

Research paper thumbnail of Telling Old Stories in New Ways

Working the Margins of Community-Based Adult Learning, 2016

The project “Old Stories in New Ways” involves multiple partners including Luo-Kenyan performing ... more The project “Old Stories in New Ways” involves multiple partners including Luo-Kenyan performing artists, a Canadian popular theatre director, plus Canadian and Kenyan academics from several disciplines. The chapter’s authors, Jan Selman and John Battye, both affiliated with the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta, co-direct and organize the project.

Research paper thumbnail of Navigating Digitally-Mediated Theatre with Intermediaturgy

Traditional dramaturgical practice does not adequately account for how emergent digital media can... more Traditional dramaturgical practice does not adequately account for how emergent digital media can interact with elements of performance in intermedial theatre, leading to an art form that is critically and compositionally inaccessible. When live and not-live components interact on stage, how does that reflect a contemporary notion of the body? And how does theatre that grapples with this interaction speak to the digital beyond the stage? This thesis explores the impact of media on notions of the body, identity, and space through a new genre of theatre, called digitally-mediated theatre (DMT). The increasing reliance on media platforms as a form of social exchange and digital media saturation have created a society that is integrated, infested, and extended by the media. DMT artists criticize this media relationship and encourage mindful awareness of its influence by taking the self-same digital media technology, embedding it in performance. A selection of DMT performances will be analyzed using an intermediaturgical process to break down the mechanisms that are used to play with notions of body, identity, and space. As intermediaturgy is concerned with human perception and navigation of mediated environments, this will allow for an analytical framework that will be resistant to obsolescence as digital media technology continues to evolve. By demonstrating this method of analysis, the aim of this thesis is to help clarify a field at odds with itself, demystify the artists from their auteur status, and increase the accessibility of the form to new and emerging artists and students of the arts. iii Acknowledgements This thesis was made possible by the support of the University of Alberta Drama Department, providing funding and academic support to complete the requirements of this degree. Through my PhD career I have also been supported through funding for research and academic pursuits by MacEwan University, Dalhousie University, Ignite Afrika Trust, and grants and scholarships earned and awarded through the Drama Department.

Research paper thumbnail of Rural as Translocal: An Alternative to National Identity in Canadian Theatre

Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of... more Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.

Research paper thumbnail of Investigating processes of internalisation of values through theatre for development

Journal of Social and Political Psychology

Used in many communities, Theatre for Development (TfD) allows performers and audiences to interr... more Used in many communities, Theatre for Development (TfD) allows performers and audiences to interrogate their cultural history and their society to promote positive social change. While many scholars have investigated the impact of TfD on audiences, very little research has investigated the psychological impact on the performers. This study attempts to fill this research gap by interviewing participants in a theatre creation project about their views on contentious social issues before, during, and after the creation of scenes involving such themes. We hypothesized that, by performing counterattitudinal and/or unfamiliar behaviours, cognitive dissonance should arise in the performers, which should result in some level of internalisation and attitude change. Results support the hypothesis, particularly in regard to the themes of ethnicity and gender (in)equality, and point to the value of using TfD processes in divided communities. This has implications for many fields, including inte...

Research paper thumbnail of Telling Old Stories in New Ways

Working the Margins of Community-Based Adult Learning, 2016

The project “Old Stories in New Ways” involves multiple partners including Luo-Kenyan performing ... more The project “Old Stories in New Ways” involves multiple partners including Luo-Kenyan performing artists, a Canadian popular theatre director, plus Canadian and Kenyan academics from several disciplines. The chapter’s authors, Jan Selman and John Battye, both affiliated with the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta, co-direct and organize the project.