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Putting a Face on Theatre
Last month the question arose in the comments section of one of my blog posts as to whether a play is actually literature.
So what is literature exactly? And what is a play?
I pulled my dictionary off the shelf for its definition of literature: Written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.
It seems my dictionary’s definition of literature is that the word is more an adjective to describe great writing.
But at its core the definition is that literature is “written works” not “read works” and last I checked I’m writing my plays.
I would venture that this schism between plays and the other literary genres is there mainly because the general population doesn’t read plays (but let’s face it they don’t read poetry like they used to either). Additionally, plays are performed.
But wait, the other literary genres have their roots in performance, too. The epic poems of Homer were recited aloud, thus having a set rhythm to the words and lines facilitated one’s ability to remember the poems. Contemporary poets are still performing. And while slam poetry or performance poetry is performed, I’m pretty sure that fact doesn’t disqualify it as poetry.
Fiction’s roots also go back to our oral traditions, of groups of people sitting around sharing their histories with one another. Before the written word stories were shared aloud, performed you might say.
And while the other genres transitioned to the existing primarily on the page thanks to the printing press, plays continue its tradition of being performing live in front of an audience.
Now some people out there will no doubt argue that the play or script is just a blueprint, a jumping off point for what is actually the play itself. Meaning that the play is actually the live performance. To this I will say, what you’re describing is a production of the play. And productions are ephemeral, each unique, different, some better than others and usually independent of one another. Yes, they are what help us experience the play, but the play itself is the written word, it is the script that is still there when the final curtain falls. It is the play, written down, that tells us what world the playwright imagined in her head. And while not many people actively seek out to read plays, they are in my opinion most certainly literature.
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Comment
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Comment by John Patrick Bray on April 27, 2012 at 12:05pm -
Thank you so much for your engaging post. There is a divide (in scholarship) between those who feel poetry is meant to be performed, and those who feel it is meant to be read to oneself. I think it is great that you remind us of the oral traditions, and I can't help but to think of early modern plays, which were meant to be heard, not seen (though the question of when the play becomes a spectacle to be seen certainly has been given much thought; some have suggested it comes with the Italiente innovations of theatrical architecture; though, in England, during the Restoration, it was more important to be seen at the theatre than to pay attention to the play or the designs).
There are no simple answers here; in terms of material semiotics (and other theoretical lenses housed in performance and theatre studies), the body (in performance) is read as a text; the architecture of the theatre is read as a text; the designs, the front of house, etc., are all coded. This problematizes definitions of reading/receiving.
When I talk to my classes, I use the term "playscript" to mean to the text put to paper (or word processor?) by the author(s). The terms been around for about forty years (maybe fifty?), and works for me ;)
There is also a great article by W.B. Worthen, "Antigone's Bones," which argues against the notion of a "fixed" text, because a script can be reinterpreted time and again (Worthen is arguing against Diana Taylor's "Archive and Repetoire," where she posits that a playscript is a "dead" thing), while non-scripted performances reliant on cultural traditions are "alive" due to their ability to adapt).
In any event, you're opening a rich conversation. Many thanks!
All the best,
JpB
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Comment by Kevin M Mitchell on March 8, 2012 at 11:02am -
Actually, I found it interesting that an older woman at my church -- in her 70s -- just informed me she's in a PLAY reading group. This groups reads a different play every month, then gets together and discusses ... that settles it for me!
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Comment by Gwydion Suilebhan on March 7, 2012 at 10:43am -
I agree with you, Marisela. The script is the play. The performance is the production.
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