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“ritual is, in its most typical cross-cultural expressions, a synchronization of many performative genres, and is often ordered by dramatic structure, a plot, frequently involving an act of sacrifice or self-sacrifice, which energizes and gives emotional coloring to the interdependent communicative codes which express in manifold ways the meaning inherent in the dramatic leitmotiv.”
victor turner
some rituals in theatre
the social ritual in the cast/off stage: performer’s personal rituals (praying, stretching, going through lines); the cast ritual before the show (bringing everyone together, energetically checking in); the stage curtain (the barrier that divides on stage and off stage, and transformation of the performers).
the aesthetic ritual: incorporation of ritualistic theatre performances; performances with religious ritualistic quality.
ritual/theatre
did theatre originate from rituals?
aristotle believe theatre is rooted in the pagan rituals to honor god dionysus in greece. theatre could have functioned as both ritual and entertainment to people. efficacy, pleasure, and aesthetics are tightly bound to each other in theatre performances.
professor and author eli rozik thought otherwise. in his book the roots of theatre, he argues that ritual and theatre are ontologically different cultural entities.
"whereas ritual is a mode of action in the real world, theatre is a kind of medium (i.e., a particular system of signification and communication). because of their ontological difference, this is not a binary opposition. ritual and theatre are mutually independent: ritual can use different media, including theatre; and theatre may or may not describe rituals. theatre may even create fictional rituals."
does it matter?
theatre teaches us ethics. whether or not originated from religious rituals or not, it has the capacity to teach us specifically about morality and civic duty. by witnessing it on stage, we understand collectivity and collective social values. in a way, ritual and theatre function the same way, teaching us religious expression and civic duty.
"adoption of the term ritual to describe theatre events sprang from a sense that they had or sought qualities markedly different from the norms of western dramatic performance. "
anthony graham-white
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