Module 1: African Theatre Traditions Flashcards
What did Richard Schechner write?
He wrote “Performance Theory”
What did Richard Schechner argue?
Theatre is just one of several related “performance genres,” which include ritual, sports, games, and religion.
What does “Performance Theory” argue against?
The Cambridge Theory
What four basic qualities does Richard Schechner argue games, sports, theatre and ritual share?
1) A special ordering of time; 2) A special value attached to objects; 3) Non-productivity in terms of goods; and 4) Rules.
Who was James Frazer and his contemporaries?
They were the Cambridge ritualists.
What was the Cambridge Theory?
Theatre evolved from ritual (primitive society praises God, more people perform rituals, rituals spurr myths, myths spurr theatre)
What did James Frazer argue?
All societies evolve in the same way.
Event time
time goes until event is done
Set time
A set timer/time limit
Symbolic time
The idea of the passage of time (ex. 3 months “passing” during a 2 hour play)
Jaliya is similar to what mode of storytelling?
Oral storytelling
What form of theatre do Griot/Griottes perform?
African Jaliya
What was the duty of the Griot/Griottes?
To memorize local histories (when a griotte dies, a library is lost)
How would you become a Griot/Griotte?
It was hereditary; you’d be born into it, starting as a storyteller or musician.
What African theatre form taught and preserved histories and folk tales?
Jaliya
