Faculty Advisor
Proehl, Geoffrey
Area of Study
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Publication Date
Summer 2019
Abstract
Authorship in theatre is divided – and divisive. The focus of this essay is on actors, and how actors engage with authorship in the theatre. In contemporary Western theatre, the division of authorship is composed of three primary fields: playwrights, directors, and actors. This essay challenges the hierarchy inherent to commercial theatres and advocates for actors who think like authors, not as the creators of solely characters, but as the co-authors of the theatrical event as a whole. In result, theatres and theatre-makers might be fortified by a shared sense of authorship, enriched by a steadfast sense of collaboration and a conviction that the performance is a shared entity in every moment, from genesis to expiration.
Award
Chism
Recommended Citation
Tapogna, Max, "Acting the Author: observations on authority in collective performance" (2019). Summer Research. 355.
https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research/355
Rights
Publisher
University of Puget Sound
Included in
Acting Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Theatre History Commons