• Title/Summary/Keyword: Actors and audience

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Heritage Soft Power in East Asia's Memory Contests: Promoting and Objecting to Dissonant Heritage in UNESCO

  • Nakano, Ryoko
    • Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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    • v.17 no.1
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    • pp.50-67
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    • 2018
  • Heritage has entered the center stage of public diplomacy in East Asia. Competition to claim and interpret memories of World War II in East Asia has driven campaigns to list heritage items with UNESCO. State and non-state actors aim to use heritage listings to present a particular view of the war and related history to domestic and international audiences. This paper highlights the role of heritage soft power in East Asia's "memory contests" by examining the promotion of dissonant modern heritage in UNESCO's heritage programs. It conceptualizes heritage designation as a soft power resource in East Asia and presents a conceptual framework for understanding the hegemonic competition over the "memory regime" that emerged from the structural change in East Asia's regional order. It then uses this framework to analyze the processes by which state and non-state actors promote and/or object to UNESCO recognition of their sites and documents as heritage of outstanding universal value or world significance. The elements of this process are illustrated with case studies of two very different pieces of heritage, Japan's "Sites of the Meiji Industrial Revolution" and China's "Documents of Nanjing Massacre," which were enshrined as significant world heritage in 2015. While state and non-state actors in East Asia are increasingly recognizing the utility of heritage as a soft power resource for advancing specific historical narratives to an international audience, a backlash movement from civil society groups and governments in other countries prevents a purely unilateral interpretation. As a result, the utility of heritage soft power in this context must be significantly qualified.

"It's our grief": Re-membering Blanche beyond Pity and Fear (테네시 윌리엄스의 블랑쉬 다시 기억하기 - 공포와 연민을 넘어서 책임과 공감으로)

  • Kim, Mijeong
    • Cross-Cultural Studies
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    • v.38
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    • pp.29-63
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    • 2015
  • This paper attempts to re-read Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire from a non-Aristotelian perspective, particularly focusing on the audience performativity. In Chapter 6 of the Poetics, Aristotle says that tragedy has a final purpose or end (telos) and that is to inspire a catharsis (literally "purification") of pity and fear by means of representation and to give pleasure from experiencing their relief. However, a dramatic theoretician Augusto Boal argues that Aristotelian catharsis is not to get rid of pity and fear through their vehement discharge; rather, the basic function of catharsis is the purging of antisocial elements from the social body and the restoration of order because catharsis occurs when the spectator, terrified by the spectacle of the catastrophe, is purified of his "hamartia" which looks similar to the tragic flaw of the hero in the play. Thus, Boal asserts that Aristotle's coercive system of tragedy manipulates the emotions of the passive spectator. By contrast, in non-Aristotelian aesthetics, tragedy functions not as legitimation for a particular political configuration but as the performance of ethical acts-through which all the participants, including not only the actors but also the audience, communicate more actively about practical problems and actively work in order to make sense of themselves, others, and society. Here, the audience is required to restore and reinforce his/her capacity to think and to act; thus, an unquestioning, passive, indifferent attitude is not allowed. In these contexts, this paper explores how Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire involves the audience in the responsibility for what occurs on the stage, in order to urge the audience's ethical judgements and responsible acts. This paper argues that what this play asks of us is not catharsis, the purging of pity and fear, but empathy toward the other's pain, beyond pity and fear, to carry out our responsibility of sharing in and caring for the other's suffering. That is to say that it will be an ethical way to "re-member" Blanche DuBoi-the iconic Williams victim "dis-membered" by traumatic memories and open wounds and is thus unable to complete her grieving and mourning-as one of us, not as the other. It will be the only way to remember right regarding her tragedy.

Characteristic factors of Musical Actor affect the Audience's Loyalty to the Performance : Focus on the Mediating Effects of Audience's Sensory Presence (공연 충성도에 영향을 미치는 뮤지컬 배우의 특성 요인 : 감각적 현전의 매개효과를 중심으로)

  • Yoon, Hyeong-Yeol;Choi, Bae-Suk
    • Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.237-249
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    • 2020
  • This study analyzed the characteristic factors of musical actor that affect the audience's loyalty to the performance by inducing the audience's sensory presence which is the unique characteristic of the performing arts and analyzed the mediating effects of audience's sensory presence between the characteristics of musical actor and audience's loyalty to the performance. Actor's characteristics which are an independent variable were composed with the appearance of actor, acting skills, sing ability and actor's known degree. Audience's sensory presence which is mediating variable was divided into immersion and identification. Audience's loyalty to the performance which is a dependent variable was set as intention of recommendation and intention of revisit the performance. The result of analysis shows that identification have significant mediating effects in all independent variables except between actor's known degree and the audience loyalty to the performance. It shows immersion have also significant mediating effects among all independent variables and the audience loyalty to the performance. The multiple mediating effects of Immersion and Identification between Actor's characteristics and Loyalty to the performance have significant effects all parts. Especially, The result of this study shows that indirect effects that arrive to the loyalty through immersion or identification are larger than the direct effect that actor's characteristics affect to the loyalty to the performance. Actor's characteristics which affect Audience's loyalty to the performance by mediating Audience's sensory presence are shown in order of appearance of actor, acting skills, sing ability and actor's known degree. These results suggest key factors of musical actor's characteristics which lead loyalty to the performance by mediating Audience's sensory presence to musical producers and directors and actors.

A Study on Effects of Performance Stage through Direction - With a focus on stage musicals performed in Korea - (연출을 통해 나타나는 공연무대의 효과에 관한 연구 - 국내 공연된 뮤지컬 무대 중심으로 -)

  • Han, A-Rim;Hong, Il-Tae
    • Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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    • v.21 no.5
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    • pp.328-335
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    • 2012
  • Due to development of digital technology, a concept of stage design management is being changed. In addition, stage management technique is changing a viewpoint of the audience watching a stage through the convergence of analogue and digital technology. Three-dimensional media such as LED and hologram and works combining with previous stage performances are rising, and the audience's requirements about spectacles on the stage are increasingly higher. Interaction between a stage, audiences and actors is a communication tool by a work story and its direction. In other words, stage design should newly focus on not only concluded work story but also comprehensive delivery of direction and the expression and extreme delivery. Therefore, this study aims to examine how to combine analogue and digital direction elements in the stage design. To this end, this study looks into everything the audience feels through performances and analogue and digital elements directed for performances and then analyzes and arranges them to present a possibility of various types of work performances. Stage structure, set, and lighting that are analogue direction elements are the basis of stage performance. Analogue direction elements mean a media vehicle that can differentiate except for basic direction of each work. This study aims to analyze new performance culture when analog and digital direction elements are combined through stage performance and a possibility of new stage performance. In addition, through this it desired to seek for a development possibility of Korean leisure culture and art culture. As the work cases, this study shows 10 works through actual stage performances held in Korea and introduces elements directed in those works.

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The post-epic characteristics in Jan Lauwers' theatre -, and - (얀 라우어스(Jan Lauwers) 공연의 탈서사적 특징들 -<이사벨라의 방(Isabella's Room)>, <랍스터 가게(The Lobster Shop)>, <사슴의 집(Deer House)>을 중심으로-)

  • Nam, Jisoo
    • Journal of Korean Theatre Studies Association
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    • no.48
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    • pp.447-484
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    • 2012
  • This study aims to analyze the characteristics of post-epic theatre in the Belgian theatre director Jan Lauwers' trilogy titled in "Happy Face/Sad Face": (2004), (2006) and (2008). I regard that it played a very important junction for him to create his own theatrical style compared to earlier years. From this period, Lauwers has tried to create his original plays in order to concentrate the story of our era and has showed to combine a variety of media such as dance, installation, video, singing etc. In this context, I would like to study his own theatricality from the three perspectives of dramaturgy, directing and acting largely based on Hans-Thies Lehmann's theory of post-epic theatre, who pointed out the significance of Lauwer's theatrical leading role very early. First, from the dramaturgical point of view, we need to pay attention to the theme of translunary death; where the living and the dead coexist on the stage. In fact, death is the theme that Lauwers has been struggling to research for quite long time. In his trilogy, the dead never exits the stage. The dead, who is not a representative tragic character, even meddles the things among or with the living and provide comments to people. As a consequence, it happens to reduce a dramaturgical strong tension, leads depreciation of suspense and produces humanism in a way. This approach helps to create his unique comical theatrical atmosphere even though he deals with the contemporary tragic issues such as war, horror and death. Second, from the directing point of view, it is worth to take a look at the polyphonic strategy in terms to applying various media. Among all the things, the arts of dancing and singing in chorus are actively applied in Lauwer's trilogy. The dance is used in individual and microscopic way, on the other hand, singing shows collective and is a macroscopic quality. The dance is the representing media to show Lauwer's simultaneous microscopic mise-en-scene. While main plot takes place around the center-stage, actors perform a dance around the off-centered stage. Instead of exiting from the stage during the performance, the actors would continue dance -sometimes more like movements- around the off-centered stage. This not only describes the narrative, but also shows how each character is engaged to the main plot or incident, and how they look into it as a character. Its simultaneous microscopic mise-en-scene intends to function such as: showing a variety moments of lives, amplifying some moments or incidents, revealing character's emotion, creating illusionary theatrical atmosphere and so on. Meanwhile, singing simple lyrics and tunes are an example of the media to stimulate the audiences' catharsis. As the simple melody lingers in the audiences' mind, it ends up delivering a theatrical message or theme after the performance. This message would be transferred from the singing in chorus functions as a sort of leitmotive in order to make an impression to the audience. This not only richens their emotion but also creates an illusionary effect. Third, from the acting perspective, I'd like to point out the "detachment" aesthetic which Lehmann has pointed out. The actors never go deep into the drama by consistently doing recognize a theatrical illusion. The audience happens to pay attention to their presence through the actor's deliberate gesture, business, movement, rhythm, language, dance etc. The actors are against forming closed action by speaking in various languages or by revealing deliberately stage directions or acts, and by creating expressive mise-en-scene with multiple media. As a consequent, the stage can be transformed to not a metaphoric but a metonymic place. These actions are the ultimate intention for a direct effect to the audience. So to speak, Lauwers uses the anti-illusionary theatrical method: the scenes of fantastic death, interruption of singing and dance, speaking many kinds of languages, acting in detachment-status and so on. These strategies function to make cracks in spectators' desire who has a desire to construct a linear narrative. I'd like to say that it is the numerous potentiality to let the reality penetrate though and collide the reality with a fiction. By doing so, it induces for spectators to see the reality in the fiction. As Lehmann says, "when theatre presents itself as a sketch and not as a finished painting, the spectators are given the chance to feel their own presence, to reflect on it, and to contribute to the unfinished character themselves". In this sense the spectators can perform an objective criticism on our society and world in Lauwer's theatre because there are a number of gaps and cracks in his theatrical illusion where reality can penetrate. This is also the point that we can find out the artists' responsibility in this era of our being.

Kansei Measure in Movies : A study on Emotional Movements (영상자극에 의한 감성적 반응 연구)

  • Kim, Da-Hyun;Lee, Seung-Hee
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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    • 2009.05a
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    • pp.79-82
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    • 2009
  • Movies are not only for projecting graphical contents but also for Kansei evaluation that stimulate human beings' sense and emotion in real time. Also, when one views movies or moving images with stories, including movies and dramas, the audience would often be sympathized through various factors of movies, such as performances of actors/actress, graphics, and music, are moved to tears and feel fear. Especially, emotional movement is different from impression and brought about as a result of responding to joy, which is one of the basic emotions of human beings. Moreover, it is suggested that emotion is the most positive aesthetic measurement toward objects. In this study, focusing on emotional movement that is one of many aesthetic reactions in human beings' watching movies, we developed an interface for measuring of emotional changes. The goal of this study is to apply the output of our quantitative analysis on the results of the measurements to the effective designing and production of movies.

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The Study of Pansori Performance (판소리 공연학 총론)

  • Jeon, Shinjae
    • (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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    • no.23
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    • pp.159-183
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    • 2011
  • Pansori has both the features of drama and music. In 19th century, prime time of pansori, it had balance of the features between drama and music. But after the late 19th century, pansori has lost the features of drama, and it has been changed into a music centered art performance. This is the phenomenon came from that the upper class accepted and dominated the pansori which had been a performance art of the lower class. The Korean upper class people tend to disdain drama, but to revere music. Nerremsae is dramatic action and ballim is musical gesture in pansori. In 19th century, pansori had plenty of nerremsae, which provided a elaborative symbolic system after the conventional rule of drama. However current pansori actors use only ballim except nerreumsae. Chuimsae like 'ulssigu' is the way to participate in pansori by audience. The actor provides the space for the audience to fill it after inducement by drummer. Through the chuimsae, actor, drummer, and audience share the sympathetic emotional experiences. However the audience in these days do not do chuimsae, but do applause like in western dramas. In western dramas, distinction between tragedy and comedy is relatively clear. The tragedy is constantly tragedy, and the comedy is also constantly comedy. However joy and sorrow are coexisted in Korean pansori. These two contradictory emotions are collided and produce a new strong emotion in a pansori. This is one of very important feature of pansori. Even though each of tragedy and comedy reveals the only one side of life, pansori comprehensively reveals a total human life. However these strong emotions have been much weakened nowadays. Currently pansori has been much declined. For restoration of pansori, it is necessary to revive the drama side in pansori performances.

A Study on Stage Costumes of Creative Musical 'Hyecho' - Focus on the Costumes of the Chorus - (창작 뮤지컬 '혜초'의 무대의상 연구 -코러스(Chorus)의상을 중심으로-)

  • Kim, Jang-Hyeon;Kim, Young-Sam
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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    • v.62 no.5
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    • pp.125-137
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    • 2012
  • This study examines the stage costumes of the creative musical 'Hyecho', which was performed six times in the Chung Ang Art Center hosted by Chung-Ang University's performance & media agency from December 20 to 22 in 2006. The stage costumes were made based on these basic design elements of stage costumes that were dyed : line, silhouette, material, and color. First, the creative musical 'Hyecho' presents a new form of fusion theatre, which blends Korean traditional music and dance with videos. Thereby, the musical has opened a new phase in Korea's creative performing arts. Second, in musical performances that combines dance and songs, stage costumes should be made not only to attract the audience's eyes, but also not to interrupt actors' vocalizations and movements by taking their physical features into account. Also, costumes should be made in consideration of their relationships with visual elements, including stage settings and lighting. Third, the musical features fusion-style stage costumes, which combines Hanbok, the Korean traditional costume, and Indian traditional costumes with modern costumes. For the line and silhouette, costumes show the beauty of curves through the curves of Hanbok and India's traditional costumes and also through irregular pleats of pants. Also, by using cotton materials, which is easy to dye and not readily deformed, costumes feature colors that are found in nature through a gradation dyeing technique. In doing so, it offers visual amusement to the audience by making stage costumes look like a beautiful painting. Fourth, the stage costumes of the chorus feature costumes that use lining and pleated skirts using belts, and various accessories, including necklaces that use strings in order to express evil spirits. Since there is not much time to change costumes during a performance, using such items are helpful to show the unique characteristics of actors effectively during the limited time. Also, coordinating with the lighting director allows the costume designer to make better costumes for the chorus and make the performance more dramatic. Finally, it was not necessary to wash the costumes of the chorus of the fusion musical Hyecho 2006 since it was performed only six times. However, when using dyed costumes for the long-term performance, it might cause problems such as bleaching that result from the washing of costumes and low durability that can result in the deformation of costumes. As performing arts are made in various forms and are diversified, it is needed for stage costumes to change accordingly through new attempts and various ways of expression.

Re-examining the Everday Play, Our Town in the COVID-19 Era (코로나 시대에서 바라본 일상극, 『우리 읍내』 재조명)

  • Park, Joo Eun
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.297-304
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    • 2022
  • The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics and theatricality of everyday plays in Thornton Wilder's Our Town, and to re-examine this work that makes us recognize the importance of everyday life in the COVID-19 era. This work seeks to find a certain value in very trivial events with the subject matter of everyday life such as birth, love and marriage, and death. Grovers Corners, the background of this work, symbolizes the town and the universe where everyone lives today, and the action spans from 1901 to 1913, and this action shows universality in everyday life that takes place even today. Wilder won a second Pulitzer Prize for this work and is a leading figure in non-realist theater. Using an empty stage as the basic frame, this work shows theatricalism, a theory that acknowledges that the action on the stage is not true and shows that fact to the audience. In addition, he leads actors to act with mime instead of props, stimulating the audience's imagination and making them think of props that are not on stage as if they really exist. This work is an everyday play that makes people realize the importance of everyday life, and it has the effect of creating an opportunity for the audience to reflect on the play and life while keeping a distance.

A study on the uniqueness of 's hyper-realistic animation style (영화 <아바타>가 보여주는 극사실적 애니메이션 스타일의 특이성 연구)

  • Lee, Youn-H.
    • Cartoon and Animation Studies
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    • s.20
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    • pp.47-61
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    • 2010
  • The Uncanny Valley is a hypothesis introduced by a roboticist, Masahiro Mori. The theory holds that as robots and other facsimiles of humans look and act more human-like, the emotional response from a human spectator to them will become increasingly empathic, until they approach realistic similarity to humans but not quite exactly like them, when those images stop being likable and instead become repulsive and "uncanny." Although the scientific validity of this hypothesis is still debatable, it is true that many spectators has tendency to reject hyper-realistic animation. For that reason, the great success of the recent movie Avatar is remarkable. Computer animations that try to represent humans in hyper-realistic way fall into a paradox: successful result images would look too mundane and unsuccessful ones look "wrong". On top of that, audience would expect from hyper-realistic animation to see same level of acting of live-action films, which is usually not the case. The subtle differences between digital characters and real actors irritate spectators and hinder them in absorbtion. The biggest difference between Avatar and other hyper-realistic animation is the referent of their representation. While Avatar pursues a similar hyper-realistic visual style, the referents of the representation shown in this movie are totally alien to us thus impossible to compare with the real counterparts. Unlike characters in other hyper-realistic animations who had to fight an uphill battle with great actors in real life, those in Avatar have criteria of their own. That is why this movie can be free from the dreadful valley and let the audience absorb into the spectacle.

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