PROSPECTS OF PHILOSOPHICAL-TOPOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH OF THEATER
Abstract
This article examines the phenomenon of theatre through the lens of phenomenological and philosophical-topographical methods. Throughout its existence, theatre has reflected and transformed social life, with its conceptual multiplicity only increasing as humanity has evolved. The author considers theatre not merely as an artistic phenomenon, but as a unique space where the real and the imaginary, the personal and the collective, the embodied and the spiritual intersect.
Drawing on two cultural turns that occurred in the 20th century – the spatial and the performative - theatre emerges as a unique object of study where these concepts find their fullest manifestation. Michel Foucault's concept of «heterotopias» allows us to view theatrical space as a site that exists simultaneously in real and imaginary dimensions. The performative turn, represented by the ideas of Erika Fischer-Lichte and Richard Schechner, emphasizes the processual nature and embodiment of theatrical action. This turn is examined through the prism of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of embodiment, which highlighted the inextricable link between body and space in the formation of human experience. This concept is further expanded by Mikel Dufrenne's work on the aesthetic experience of the spectator and Christoph Wulf's research on the role of ritual and mimesis in theatrical practice.
Philosophical topography, grounded in phenomenology, is proposed as a method for studying theatre, allowing us to view it as a special configuration of meanings through topoi, which function not only as functional zones but also as carriers of specific cultural significations. Bernhard Waldenfels' concept of the «phenomenology of the Alien» helps to understand the interaction between spectator and actor as equal participants in creating intersubjective experience. Theatrical action becomes a «threshold» between the familiar and the unfamiliar, or between the own and the alien, allowing us to consider theatre as a space for the potential manifestation of the hidden.
The approach proposed in this article opens new horizons for understanding theatre as a unique laboratory of human experience. It allows us to see how fundamental aspects of our being are manifested through theatrical space. This research can serve as a foundation for further rethinking theatre's role in culture and its potential as an environment for experimenting with new forms.
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