The Stage, the screen and the space between: Re-thinking projected imagery in live performance
This thesis explores the use of moving image projection technologies in stage performance as it relates to dramaturgical and scenographic aspects. Projection techniques have been used in theatre since the seventeenth century, but it is not until the advent of cinema that the moving image begins to considerably influence stage practices including narrative, mise en scene, acting and spectatorial relations as well as the construction of stage space. This thesis traces the history of interconnectivity between screen media (film, video and digital imagery) and theatre in order to better understand critical issues that continue to challenge both stage practitioners and theorists today, in particular regarding the relation of actors and stage design to the screen image. This analysis also brings to light the long-lasting struggle of the stage between two-dimensional image reproduction and creation techniques and three-dimensional stage architecture and performing bodies. This thesis uses a combination of critical and historical writings with personal experience and interviews to draw insights into how the stage and screen, two mediums with distinct ontologies, may be reconciled.
Cathleen Boivin