| Popis: |
Research on the comedia in performance has partially ignored the actor’s role in establishing aesthetic and ideological meanings in early modern and (post)modern stagings. This study addresses this gap by employing four performances of La vida es sueño as case studies: the 1632-1636 première (Chapter I) and three CNTC productions from 1996 (Chapter II), 2000 (Chapter III), and 2012 (Chapter IV). Its objective is to answer the following questions: what is the players’ role in conveying dramatic features (characterisation and conflict)? What resources –such as paralinguistic features, gestures, and use of space– do they employ to achieve this? How do they articulate aspects from their socio-political context onto the stage? As these issues are examined, this thesis discusses (a) the adaptations’ level of (un)faithfulness to the play-text/première and (b) their (lack of) relevance vis-à-vis their aesthetic and ideological environment. To do so, it introduces two dichotomies: the fundamentalist/reformist approach –which evaluates (a)– and the dry/wet perspective –which considers (b). Methodologically, the acting is analysed through “thick” description (specific scenes reveal generalities about the productions) and a particularised framework for each mise-en-scène. The comparison shows that there are two perspectives in the (post)modern staging of La vida es sueño/the comedia: (1) The conservative one –catalogued as dry and fundamentalist– is illustrated by the 1996 and 2012 productions. This perspective fails to engage with the play’s most contemporary themes (e.g., violence), while respecting the script/première (e.g., introducing few extra-textual scenes). (2) The radical one –catalogued as wet and reformist– is exemplified by the 2000 version. This approach engages with political criticism (e.g., the spectator’s problematic attitudes towards cruelty/suffering) and transgresses Calderón’s play-text (e.g., by introducing references to fascism). The main contribution of this study is that it questions and reinstates the relevance of the performance of Calderón’s play and the comedia today. |
