Research

Having chosen the productions relevant to my research I have begun interviewing the Directors and Writers of those plays.

I had intended to do this by conducting video interviews with open ended questions, however time constraints and logistics have proved this to not be possible so far. I have, however, been able to communicate with them by email and they have, so far, been able to provide some interesting insights to my questions.

Image Source: topnews.in

My reading and analysis is turning up some interesting stuff: through my research I decided to go all the way back to the very first theatre practitioners, the Ancient Greeks: Aristotle is widely recognised as being the first writer to speculate on the nature of theatre and its practice and place in society (what effect theatre has on those who take part in it and view it.) This led me to read more from the Greek philosophers, and in particular Plato: in Plato's Republic he speculates, through the characters of Socrates and Adeimantus, on their ideal city state and what does, or doesn't, have a place in this supposed utopia. In one chapter they discuss the place of the mimetic art and that of the rhapsodists in the republic and decide that all art which depicts the 'less than perfect' should not be allowed.

Image Source: hannahrendtcenter.org

I first read Plato during the Module Two section on ethical practice, when I became a little bit obsessed with the study of ethics!

I began thinking about this in relevance to my research, the 'why do we bother' question. With so much modern theatre depicting very brutal or unsettling scenes, or events that may hit close to home with the audiences, what place does this art have?

So I've decided to change the title of my research, from the working title of 'Why Do We Bother? An Investigation Into The Impact And Effect Of New Writing' to 'What Place Does Modern Theatre Have In Modern Society?' 

I feel this is a relevant title for the research I am conducting. And I may pop a subtitle in there of 'Why Do We Bother?' just for the hell of it :P