Unit One What is Performance

Unit One: What is Performance?

The layman definition of a performance could be how well a person does something effectively. It could also mean an artistic presentation of content. In this case, performance is a form of socialization. Socialization is the process through which people learn to behave in ways that are consistent with their surroundings. Part of that effort is the person gaining an awareness of what is appropriate and which is not: to put it bluntly but honestly, what behavior will garner love and what behavior will get scorn (Olson 279). Socialization takes place inside the confines of the palace or the human circus, and love becomes extremely convoluted as a result of the game of political power. There is a deep-seated urge and desire to belong to a group that is deeply ingrained in the human mind and in human nature (Olson 274). Olson (280) also points to a need for an individual to learn how to de-socialize from the representations that one is supposed to carry internally. This means question all beliefs and even contesting the idea of love, including how to love and how to expect reciprocation of this love (Fuchs 403). Tannahill (39) describes how Sunny defines the inner circle, including the concept of friendship, companionship, love, and acceptance from a queer and LGBTQ+ point of view, noting that the expectations and definitions that society have largely influences his own. Tannahill’s (40) points to Sunny’s construction of identity as based on rebellion with behavior that is not characteristic of mainstream society. Matthew Mackenzie’s Bears addresses the same issues of identity search from a lens of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, spirituality, and a chase story. In the story, Floyd finds his purpose and identity in a world that is new and cruel to him. The dense forest is similar to Sunny’s journey as a queer. Ideally, socialization circles back to these individuals attempting to fit in to a society that others have created.

Unit Two: Considering Theatre and Performance Histories

Several aspects of human life, including the social, cultural, and political features have all had a hand in shaping theatre and performance. Specifically, the themes of theatre, performance, and young people have all been influenced by social, cultural, and political contexts, thereby creating new and innovative modes of performance. Performances may be a variety of things at the same time. They may be both conventional and emerging at the same time, and they can be artistic, reflective, and impactful. As a consequence, each performance is distinct from the others due to the conditions around it, which may include the historic, societal, cultural, political, and interpersonal settings. The understanding of what is current, according to (Thompson 206), I based on an individual’s view against the lenses of society and culture. When it comes to creating their art, artists are influenced by their cultural background, political concerns, social life, and other aspects that affect a person’s position in life. To do so, they must first understand themselves. The same elements have an influence on theater, performance, and young people, and they are all interconnected. As a result of the connections created with culture, society, and politics, it is possible that new links will be established between various colors, shapes, patterns, symbols, people, and places, all of which will contribute to their creative attempts. The complexity of theatre history is represented by the fact that societies do not evolve at the same pace or in the same way, and their genres of theatrical performance differ greatly (Tobin 26). In fact, among historians generally, periodization is sometimes debated (Tobin 27). This may also include having an impact on how a culture interprets and perceives theatre and performance, as well as on how it sees and treats its young, among other things. A cultural language of symbolism is used by artists and platforms as a consequence of their political, social, and cultural influences in order to transmit the message they want to portray via their artwork.

Unit Three: Theatre, Theory, Performance

‘What You Won’t Do for Love’ is an affecting conversation about love and the environment. Miriam Fernandes approached renowned environmentalist David Suzuki in order to get his perspective on climate change for her theatrical production. She expected Suzuki to write from his perspective as a scientist.

Emergent themes include race, the environment, and the responses of individuals to these issues.

Instead, she came upon Tara Cullis, a literature professor, climate activist, and David’s life partner, who was possessed with an almost infinite amount of vision and determination.

Miriam has now come to terms with the fact that Tara and David’s decades-long dedication to one other, as well as to the people they care about, has only intensified their determination to battle for the world.

When it comes to the junction of love and environmental responsibility, the film “What You Won’t Do for Love” draws a lot of attention.

Everyone has several, overlapping parts of their identities, and all of these elements work together to influence how we see the world and how we are treated in it.

This is true for everyone as revealed in the movie, only that people are yet to understand this relationship.

Several types of prejudice are intersecting, and we must address all of them in order to achieve lasting change, according to many people who believe this.

The love for the environment is a simple way to love unconditionally, similar to what Kimberle Crenshaw identifies as intersectional feminism.

Kimberlé Crenshaw of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law was the first to coin the term “intersectionality” back in 1989 to describe “the way in which various forms of inequality or oppression (such as racist and gender-based bias and other forms of bigotry) when taken together, create new forms of disadvantage or disadvantageous treatment for people of different backgrounds.”

There had already been a long line of Black feminists who had spoken up on the inequalities between their own experiences as a Black woman and those of White women and Black men before Crenshaw.

b. Disabilities and Intersectionality

As mentioned by Tobin (26), the complexity of theatre history is represented by the fact that societies do not evolve at the same pace or in the same way, and their genres of theatrical performance differ greatly.

In order to attain success, it is necessary to have an intersectional approach that is founded on critical feminist theory.

It has been discovered that different individuals and groups respond to climate change in different ways as a result of their situatedness in power systems that are based on context-specific and dynamic social categorizations, according to the findings of an intersectional study of climate change, which was conducted.

While essentialization traps may be avoided, intersectionality offers a method that permits solidarity and agency to emerge across and beyond social categories, hence avoiding essentialization.

With climate change, it may highlight how power structures and categorizations may be strengthened while also being questioned and renegotiated in whole new ways, all at the same time (“’What You Won’t Do for Love”).

It’s impossible to sum up a person’s personality in a few simple words. As a person’s disability is merely a piece of their identity, it does not define them (Tannahill’s (40).

The word “intersectionality” was used to define the interaction between feminism and women of color, underlining the distinct hurdles women encounter based on their skin color. This movement aimed for improved inclusion and awareness of the many difficulties, such as racism, that women of color experience in their efforts to achieve gender equality.

This concept of racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, age, religion, and physical or mental ability are now included in the word “intersectionality.”

From my own experience, my identity is formed from the intersections of all of these layers, which may amplify any prejudices or marginalization that my ethnic background may face. To get a whole picture of my own identity, it’s necessary to look at all aspects of my life. Therefore, my environment, my culture, and other parts of my socio-political and cultural life are all important in shaping my understanding of intersectionality and disabilities.

To provide an example, a white heterosexual lady who uses a wheelchair would have an entirely different experience than a black lesbian transgender Muslim woman.

Maliya may be confronted with sexism, racism, Islamaphobia, homophobia, and ableism at any point in her life, and she should be prepared to cope with the worst that life has to offer.

Discrimination based on one or more components of her identity may be perceived simultaneously or individually, depending on the audience’s attention span and the various parts of her identity that are being highlighted at the same time or separately.

From these instances, I define intersectionality and disabilities from an events point of view where, for example, Suzuki’s concern for the environment can be termed as a crippling experience since the rest of the world does not share in his enthusiasm and that intersectionality here is evident in the way care for the environment is included in the natural human life.