Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond

210 Pages·2013·1.84 MB·English

by  Rapti

Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond
Vassiliki Rapti
Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and Beyond
Taking as its point of departure the complex question about whether Surrealist
theatre exists, this book re-examines the much misunderstood artistic medium
of theatre within Surrealism, especially when compared to poetry and painting.
This study reconsiders Surrealist theatre specifically from the perspective of
ludics—a poetics of play and games—an ideal approach to the Surrealists, whose
games blur the boundaries between the “playful” and the “serious.”
Vassiliki Rapti’s aims are threefold: first, to demystify André Breton’s
controversial attitude toward theatre; second, to do justice to Surrealist theatre,
by highlighting the unique character that derives from its inherent element of
play; and finally, to trace the impact of Surrealist theatre in areas far beyond
its generally acknowledged influence on the Theatre of the Absurd—an impact
being felt even on the contemporary world stage. Beginning with the Surrealists’
“one-into-another” game and its illustration of Breton’s ludic dramatic theory,
Rapti then examines the traces of this kind of game in the works of a wide variety
of Surrealist and Post-Surrealist playwrights and stage directors, from several
different countries, and from the 1920s to the present: Roger Vitrac, Antonin
Artaud, Günter Berghaus, Nanos Valaoritis, Robert Wilson, and Megan Terry.
Vassiliki Rapti is Preceptor in Modern Greek in the Department of
The Classics at Harvard University, USA, where she is also serving
as Research Fellow in Greek Literature and Language Pedagogy at
the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies (Washington, D.C.).
Ashgate Studies in Surrealism
Series Editor:
Gavin Parkinson, The Courtauld Institute of Art,
University of London, UK
With scholarly interest in Surrealism greater than ever, the Ashgate Studies in
Surrealism series serves as a forum for key areas of Surrealist inquiry today. This
series extends the ongoing academic and popular interest in Surrealism, evident
in recent studies that have rethought established areas of Surrealist activity and
engagement, including those of politics, the object, photography, crime, and
modern physics. Expanding and adding various lines of inquiry, books in the
series examine Surrealism’s intersections with philosophical, social, artistic, and
literary themes. Potential subjects to be examined in the context of Surrealism
include but are not limited to: nature; queer studies; humor and play; science;
theory in the 1950s and 1960s; the New Novel; Surrealist activities beyond Paris.
Proposals are welcomed for both monographs and essay collections dealing
with the above subjects or with discussions of Surrealism in other aspects and
genres. Monographic writings on artists and writers who have been generally
overlooked by English-language scholarship (for instance, Victor Brauner, Toyen,
Jorge Camacho) would also fall within the scope of this series.
Ludics in Surrealist Theatre and
Beyond
Vassiliki Rapti
© Vassiliki Rapti 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Vassiliki Rapti name has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street
Union Road Suite 3–1
Farnham Burlington, VT 05401-3818
Surrey, GU9 7PT USA
England
http://www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Rapti, Vassiliki.
Ludics in Surrealist theatre and beyond.—(Ashgate studies in surrealism)
1. Surrealist games. 2. Experimental theater. 3. Surrealism (Literature) 4. Comic,
The.
I. Title II. Series
792'022—dc23
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Rapti, Vassiliki.
Ludics in surrealist theatre and beyond / by Vassiliki Rapti.
p. cm.—(Ashgate studies in surrealism)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4094-2906-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Theater—History—20th
century. 2. Experimental theater. 3. Surrealism (Literature) 4. Breton, André, 1896–
1966—Influence. I. Title.
PN2189.R37 2013
809.2'91163—dc23
2012034194
ISBN 9781409429067 (hbk)
ISBN 9781472412263 (ebk—PDF)
ISBN 9781472412270 (ebk—ePUB)
III
Printed and bound in Great Britain by the
MPG Books Group, UK
To Andreas.
This page has been left blank intentionally
Contents
List of illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
List of abbreviations xv
Introduction: Does surrealist theatre exist? 1
1 The surrealist game “one into another” in Nadja and
Les Détraquées: Reconstructing André Breton’s
ludic dramatic theory 15
2 Staging “mad love” in the Théâtre Alfred Jarry:
Breton’s ludic dramatic theory in practice 55
3 Staging child’s play in Roger Vitrac’s Victor or
Children in Power: Between paidia and ludus 91
4 Playing with language: Antonin Artaud’s paidia
and Robert Wilson’s ludus 119
5 Ludics in Megan Terry’s
“theatre of transformations” 145
Conclusion 175
Works cited 179
Index 187
This page has been left blank intentionally
List of illustrations
Cover From Body Leaks by Sora Kimberlain, Jo Ann Schmidman, Megan Terry,
Omaha Magic Theatre. Excerpted from Right Brain Vacation Photos:
New Plays and Production Photographs, 1972–1992/Omaha Magic
Theatre, edited by Jo Ann Schmidman, Sora Kimberlain, Megan Terry;
photographs by Megan Terry. 1st edition. Omaha, NE: Omaha Magic
Theatre, 1992, 75
4.1 Günter Berghaus’ lighting setting in his stage experiment with Artaud’s
Le Jet de sang (The Spurt of Blood), performed February 14–17,
1996 at Wickham Studio Theatre, Bristol, director: Günter Berghaus.
Photographs copyright of Günter Berghaus. Berghaus Archive, Overath /
Germany
4.2 The Whore and the Knight, from Günter Berghaus’ stage experiment with
Artaud’s Le Jet de sang (The Spurt of Blood), performed February 14–17,
1996 at Wickham Studio Theatre, Bristol, director: Günter Berghaus.
Photographs copyright of Günter Berghaus. Berghaus Archive, Overath /
Germany
4.3 Mother and Knight, from Günter Berghaus’ stage experiment with
Artaud’s Le Jet de sang (The Spurt of Blood), performed February 14–17,
1996 at Wickham Studio Theatre, Bristol, director: Günter Berghaus.
Photographs copyright of Günter Berghaus. Berghaus Archive, Overath /
Germany
4.4–4.8 Scenes from American Repertory Theatre’s 1986 production of Alcestis,
directed by Robert Wilson. Photographs by Richard Feldman, courtesy
of A.R.T.
5.1 From Body Leaks by Sora Kimberlain, Jo Ann Schmidman, Megan Terry,
Omaha Magic Theatre. Excerpted from Right Brain Vacation Photos:
New Plays and Production Photographs, 1972–1992/Omaha Magic
Theatre, edited by Jo Ann Schmidman, Sora Kimberlain, Megan Terry;
photographs by Megan Terry. 1st edition. Omaha, NE: Omaha Magic
Theatre, 1992, 71