Theatre and Religion Research Papers (original) (raw)
The Jatra of Bengal, India is embedded in religious celebrations and communal and cultural quests. Jatra is known for its distinctive presentational styles comprising song-dance sequences, larger than life physicalization, enthralling... more
The Jatra of Bengal, India is embedded in religious celebrations and communal and cultural quests. Jatra is known for its distinctive presentational styles comprising song-dance sequences, larger than life physicalization, enthralling dialogues, and the anthropomorphizing of the “conscience,” commonly known as the bibek. This article focuses
on an interview with Shekh Madhusudan, the 87-year old Jatra artist who reminiscences about his relationship with this form of theatre. This interview exposes how religion and his journey as a bibek in relation to the dramatic and theatrical theories of postcolonialism and hybridity inform the nature of contemporary Jatra in West Bengal.
Following the 'turn to religion,' thinkers in a whole host of subjects across the humanities have been finding God to be significantly less 'dead' than Nietzsche led us all to expect. What does this mean for contemporary staging praxis of... more
Following the 'turn to religion,' thinkers in a whole host of subjects across the humanities have been finding God to be significantly less 'dead' than Nietzsche led us all to expect. What does this mean for contemporary staging praxis of Shakespeare's most spiritually provocative play?
From a special issue of the journal Ecumenica on critical terms in religion and theatre.
- by Joshua Edelman and +1
- •
- Religion, Performance Studies, Spirituality, Liminality
Η διαδικασία μάθησης στα θρησκευτικά έχει ως στόχο πέρα από την κατάκτηση γνώσεων, την κατανόηση και αφομοίωση πανανθρώπινων αξιών. Η επίτευξη των παραπάνω στόχων μπορεί να συντελεσθεί με την υποστήριξη των ΤΠΕ. Οι νέες τεχνολογίες... more
Η διαδικασία μάθησης στα θρησκευτικά έχει ως στόχο πέρα από την κατάκτηση γνώσεων, την κατανόηση και αφομοίωση πανανθρώπινων αξιών. Η επίτευξη των παραπάνω στόχων μπορεί να συντελεσθεί με την υποστήριξη των ΤΠΕ. Οι νέες τεχνολογίες δίνουν την δυνατότητα στους μαθητές μέσα από ομαδοσυνεργατικές βιωματικές δραστηριότητες να εκφραστούν, να μάθουν δημιουργώντας, να αναπτύξουν την κριτική σκέψη και να αλλάξουν τον τρόπο αντιμετώπισης και στάσης απέναντι σε ανθρώπους διαφορετικών θρησκευτικών αντιλήψεων. Στο άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζεται ένα διδακτικό σενάριο που εφαρμόστηκε στην τάξη για την διδασκαλία των «Ξένων Θρησκευμάτων». Βασίζεται στην βιωματική μαθητοκεντρική παιδαγωγική προσέγγιση της διδασκαλίας των Θρησκευτικών μέσω χρήσης των Τ.Π.Ε., συγγραφής θεατρικού κειμένου, δραματοποίησης και σκηνικής απόδοσής του με στόχο την ενίσχυση της εμπλοκής των μαθητών στην μαθησιακή διαδικασία και την υποστήριξη των γνωστικών και μεταγνωστικών ικανοτήτων τους. Η αξιολόγηση του σεναρίου με την χρήση «pre» και «post testing» δομημένων ερωτηματολογίων ανέδειξε την ενεργό συμμετοχή, την απήχηση που είχε στους μαθητές το σενάριο καθώς και την επίτευξη των μαθησιακών στόχων.
The Nigerian film industry, which is popularly referred to as Nollywood movie industry, is daily attaining international lofty height. The theatrical and dramatic talents of Nigerian actors and actresses as well as the basking enterprise... more
The Nigerian film industry, which is popularly referred to as Nollywood movie industry, is daily attaining international lofty height. The theatrical and dramatic talents of Nigerian actors and actresses as well as the basking enterprise of their producers and marketers, even the contribution of cross-cultural role-players have led the movie industry to be a special breed, best among equals and unbeatable in the global market. However, there seems to be an alarming danger, told and untold mixed feelings that bedevil the industry, resulting from certain sexy roles, romantic and near-sexual actions being projected to public views by the actors, actresses and their directors. From the religious and cultural points of view, such roles are incongruent and unethical to the values and philosophy of religious and cultural practices in Nigeria in particular and Africa in extension; since almost everybody that plays role in Nigerian movie is either a Christian, a Muslim or adherent of an African indigenous religion. Therefore, it is pertinent that the Nollywood movie writers, directors, actors, actresses and their producers should endeavour to differentiate between African movie and pornography. Age-rating is not a sufficient security, since through social media every kind of video could be accessed. Since African culture, Christian and Islamic religions respect human sexuality and abhor public sex, as it is a taboo and a punishable offense. Let the movie writers consider their storyline. The directors be cautious of what they tell the actors and actresses to display in roles regarding sexuality, so as to preserve the ethics and values of culture and religion which is the mandate of the art.
The hero-cult of Hippolytus in Troezen is well documented in the archaeological, epigraphic and literary record. This paper focuses on the social function of the cult of Hippolytus in Troezen. After discussing the archaeological evidence... more
The hero-cult of Hippolytus in Troezen is well documented in the archaeological, epigraphic and literary record. This paper focuses on the social function of the cult of Hippolytus in Troezen. After discussing the archaeological evidence for this hero-cult, I demonstrate how a special type of votive dedications that predominate in the assemblages of his sanctuary sheds light on the hero’s specific social function and cultic identity (i.e. his kourotrophic power). By tying together the different types of evidence (archaeological as well as literary), I argue that the kourotrophic function of Hippolytus was an effective medium at the hands of the polis-authorities of internalising a reverent behaviour in the ancient worshippers.
The famous Romanian historian of religions Mircea Eliade presents in the novel "Nineteen Roses" a view on theatre less explored by his critics, in which we can find the seeds for a possible theory and practice of the sacred theatre. By... more
The famous Romanian historian of religions Mircea Eliade presents in the novel "Nineteen Roses" a view on theatre less explored by his critics, in which we can find the seeds for a possible theory and practice of the sacred theatre. By Integrating this perspective in his theory about the sacred as an element in the structure of human consciousness, not in the history of consciousness, I'll argue, applying a cross-disciplinary approach, that theatre could have, as Mircea Eliade claimed, the role of a “path” to transcendence. The experience of the sacred, in terms of Stanislav Grof’s transpersonal psychology, could be considered a “holotropic” experience. How can we understand Eliade’s view on theatre using Grof’s theory? What is the role of anamnesis in Eliade’s theatre and in Grof’s theory and psychological experiments? What is the relationship between aesthetic and ecstatic in Mircea Eliade’s view on theatre? By using textual criticism and hermeneutics, I will propose an analysis of Eliade’s view on theatre which can re-configure the expressions of the sacred on stage in his fictional writings.
Precisely because of its radical instability as a theatrical signifier, playwrights have seized on the prop as a tool for destabilizing the conventional symbolism previously embodied by the now ambiguous object. Although they cannot... more
Precisely because of its radical instability as a theatrical signifier, playwrights have seized on the prop as a tool for destabilizing the conventional symbolism previously embodied by the now ambiguous object. Although they cannot legislate the prop's impact, playwrights can seek to orchestrate the prop's movement through concrete stage space and linear stage time. They can also shape the audience's reception of the prop through dialogue and stage directions. . . . This is especially the case during periods of semiotic crisis, when the meaning of the object the prop represents is (quite literally) up for grabs.—Andrew Sofer, The Stage Life of Props
Theology is inherently theatrical, rooted in God’s performance on the world stage and oriented toward faith seeking performative understanding in the theatre of everyday life. Following Hans Urs von Balthasar’s magisterial, five-volume... more
Theology is inherently theatrical, rooted in God’s performance on the world stage and oriented toward faith seeking performative understanding in the theatre of everyday life. Following Hans Urs von Balthasar’s magisterial, five-volume Theo-Drama, a growing number of theologians and pastors have been engaging more widely with theatre and drama, producing what has been recognized as a “theatrical turn” in theology. This volume includes thirteen essays from theologians and pastors who have all contributed in distinct ways to this theatrical turn and who desire to deepen interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and theatre. The result is an unprecedented collection of essays that embodies and advances theatrical theology for the purpose of enriching theological reflection and edifying the church.
A working definition of the term "liturgy" for use in theatre and performance studies. Citation information: “Liturgy”, Ecumenica Journal of Theatre and Performance, Volume 7 issues 1 and 2 (2014), Special Issue: “Critical Terms in... more
A working definition of the term "liturgy" for use in theatre and performance studies. Citation information:
“Liturgy”, Ecumenica Journal of Theatre and Performance, Volume 7 issues 1 and 2 (2014), Special Issue: “Critical Terms in Religion, Spirituality, and Performance”, pp. 37-44.
This is a 3-cycle play, intended to run for hours at an all-day and if necessary all-night performance. It tells the story of an Irish Catholic family settled in England who are selling the family home. As the layers of wallpaper are... more
This is a 3-cycle play, intended to run for hours at an all-day and if necessary all-night performance. It tells the story of an Irish Catholic family settled in England who are selling the family home. As the layers of wallpaper are peeled away, memories, tragedies and old stories clamour to be told. It is a story full of ghosts, voices, and unexpressed desires, and moves between the languages of English, British Sign Language and C12th Irish poetry amongst others.