Towards an Approach of Performise: I Am a Normal Person (2018) as a Case Study

Abstract

This article proposes employing the approach of performise, a term coined by Patrice Pavis (2013) in order to foreground certain indeterminate elements (e.g. improvisation) in the constitution of contemporary performances, and to facilitate accessibility and participation in therapeutic theatre. Different from mise-en-scène, which implies how the constituents of theatrical works represent textual scenes onstage, performise indicates the degree to which spectators and actors can engage in cooperative creative works during performances. My research methodology is Arts-Based Research for scenogra-phy, an approach that unifies design practice and academic research. To illustrate this, the author uses case study I am a Normal Person (2018), in which a woman with cerebral palsy performed her autobiographical memory. As the scenographer and co-creator of the piece, the author worked closely with the actress to configure a dynamic space in which the actress’s potential reactions are triggered according to her perceptions of the environment. When developing the scenography, the author found that the concept of performise has conceptual links to Karen Barad’s concept of intra-action (1997), which examines how reciprocal responses only occur while placing oneself within actions. The inter-connection of actors and spectators creates a liminal realm, which leads to a dynamic whole.