Otakar Zich: Towards a Phenomenology of Theatre and the Physicality of the Actor’s Experience
Artur Duda
dudaart@umk.plNicolaus Copernicus University (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2522-6888
Abstract
Inspired by the English translation of Otakar Zich’s classic work Estetika dramatickeho umĕni, the article presents the book in the context of its reception. Since its first publication in 1931, it had been available only in Czech, despite the existence of unpublished German and English translations. Following the editors’ suggestion, the author places Zich’s treatise in the phenomenological context. He highlights selected aspects concerning theatre and acting, interpreting them in conjunction with Tomasz Kubikowski’s concept of seven theatrical beings and the James-Lange psychological theory to demonstrate that Zich’s theoretical terms can be used in analyses of contemporary post-dramatic and anthropological theatre. The most important element of the Czech author’s theoretical framework is the physical dimension of communication between the actor and the spectator, based on inner tactile perceptions.
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Keywords:
theatre studies, Otakar Zich, Prague School, phenomenology of theatre, James-Lange theoryReferences
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Authors
Artur Dudadudaart@umk.pl
Nicolaus Copernicus University Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2522-6888
Artur Duda – PhD, Professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University, theatre scholar and performance theorist, based at the Institute of Cultural Studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Main areas of research: contemporary theatre in Central and Eastern Europe, theories of theatre and performance, including the aesthetics of performativity and the phenomenology of theatre in relation to media studies. Since 2018, a permanent collaborator at the Research Centre for Eastern European Theatre at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
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