Karen Fricker
Search for other papers by Karen Fricker in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Lepage’s cinematic dramaturgy
Abstract only
Log-in for full text

This chapter argues that Lepage borrows filmic techniques and reworks them for the stage to keep theatre in step with changes in human perception brought about by advances in media technologies. Such techniques are a key tool in Lepage’s attempts to evoke in his work the complex lived reality of contemporary culture in the developed world. Montage is a key term in this consideration, and this chapter focuses in particular on his deployment of spatial montage, the placement of material depicting different temporal realities, scenes, and/or characters on stage at the same time and suggesting relationships between them. Transposing this filmic effect to the stage exploits theatre’s unique qualities of liveness and three-dimensionality to make montage do representational, symbolic and affective work not achievable in screened forms of representation. While Lepage’s description of his work as characterised by metaphoric relationships is widely accepted, this chapter argues that his work also employs the figures of metonym, synecdoche, and condensation. Lepage also relies on genre as a key scaffolding for his stage works, and this chapter explores three productions’ engagement with genres including melodrama (Tectonic Plates), thriller (Polygraph), and art film (Needles and Opium).

  • Collapse
  • Expand

All of MUP's digital content including Open Access books and journals is now available on manchesterhive.

 

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 391 132 13
Full Text Views 34 28 0
PDF Downloads 28 15 0