Reading week 2

Reading – Week 2

Kalb, J. (2001). ‘Documentary Solo Performance: The Politics of the Mirrored Self.’ Theatre, Vol. 31.3, pp13-29.

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·         Solo performance is varied, both in style, content and socially/politically.

·         Solo performance has the potential, and often is ‘rife with self-indulgence and incipient monumental egotism’ (14). Often an ego boost for an actor, seen as showing off.

·         Solo performance is an umbrella that encompasses a huge variety of performance, not just documentary or satire/stand-up.

·         Documentary Solo performance arose as a reaction to the lack of effective potential theatre in the last 25 years of America. It is a reaction to what didn’t happen successfully in theatre, or what was close to being revolutionary.

·         ‘Traditional parables’ as Brecht pointed out ‘allows the spectator to congratulate themselves on their sympathetic feelings without seriously questioning their behaviour or beliefs.’ (15). Documentary Solo performance strives to make them question own behaviour/belief, not necessarily to create a revolution about that political theme, but for the spectator to actively think instead of passively self-congratulate for feelings of sympathy etc.

·         ‘Effective political art in boom-time America must be cunning, and the documentary impulse is a form of cunning, even if its practitioners don’t always see that.’ (16). Documentary has more of a political impact than normal solo performance.

·         Documentary Solo performance searches for freshness, a way of discussing gossip alongside ‘powerful topical narratives’ in order to make the performer become active politically throughout their art. (16)

·         Anna Deavere Smith is a very popular Documentary Solo performer. Very important and influential.

·         Documentary Solo performance works by interviewing people about certain specific events of choice, and impersonating them on stage ‘using their exact words and mannerisms.’ (16)

·         Documentary Solo performance looks to perform authentic speech, true characterisation and to share the individual experience.

·         In Documentary Solo performance you need to perform all characters, even the hateful or evil ones and to not show a bias. Documentary Solo performance can be shown therefore to a wider and more integrated audience instead of a specific one.

·         Documentary Solo performer Wolf says you don’t change people’s attitudes through facts, but through personal stories. Documentary Solo performance performs the unspeakable, and makes the mundane remarkable.

·         If Documentary Solo performance is not as loose a concept as it is labelled, it would be called something else and be part of another genre.

·         Documentary Solo performance can potentially be diluted politically if there is more than 1 actor, it can be weaker with more than one. Solo has more of an impact.

·         However, David Hare’s solo performance was not effective, ‘utterly inept’ (23). So not always successful as Solo performance, especially if they have no acting experience such as Hare.

·         Documentary Solo performance looks at real events, in real scale, real things and real situations that are timeless.

·         However, Hooch does not see himself as documentary in style because his characters are in his head, not people being interviewed. He works in the same way through embodying the characters and creating a political discussion/debate.