Example 1: Report

Word Count: 2482

HL SOLO REPORT: Researching Theatre Theory

Robert Wilson is an American theatre practitioner from
Waco, Texas. Though initially he went to school for
interior design and architecture, he is now a well-known
theatre director, actor, and designer with experience
with several other leading artists (Robert Wilson)
Wilson's theatre was predominantly inspired by his
adopted deaf son, Raymond Andrews (Fig. 1 ), whom
Wilson encouraged to communicate through images
and symbols as he could not speak. This way of
Fig. 1 Wilson's performance, Deafman Glance, communicating inspired his theatre to be independent
inspired by Raymond Andrews, with "fantastical of text with an emphasis on images through movement
scenes composed pu rely of p e r f o r m ed and other production elements, most importantly light
images" (Robert Wilson)
(Hustfield, 2019). However Wilson's childhood also
influenced his style, specifically the pace of his
performances. Wilson had a stutter and discovered that a solution would be to slow down his
speech, which is a direction he generally gives to his actors that results in the incredibly slow and
controlled pace that his performances often possess (Als, 2012). This stylized way of performing
is specific to Wilson because he believes that "by being artificial...you can ...know more about
yourself, be closer to ...a truth" (Fishaut, 2008)

Wilson's avant-garde style of theatre is known as the

'theatre of visuals' or 'theatre of images' that uses "an �
abstract, minimalist, industrial visual grammar to set
off motifs" (Holmburg, 1996). He designs his --.....--.1
performances with images (Fig. 2) The quality of his
theatre calls for "precise gestures, movements,
shapes of objects, textures of sound, and lighting aim
to create a heightened experience for the
viewer." (Hurstfield, 2019) The specific aesthetic that
Wilson strives for in his productions through
meticulously planned lighting and aesthetic
composition manifests a dreamlike quality that he
intends to use to captivate his audiences. In Wilsons Fig. 2 Wilson uses storyboards to create his 'visual
theatre' - an example from Einstein on the Beach
performances, "shapes and actions present
themselves, disappear and return in other forms. We
as the dreamers may be delighted, surprised, or terrified, but the dream is independent and can't
be controlled." (Theatre of Images 32) The imagery he presents is important as we can then
analyze them in order to translate meaning based on our own reactions to them.

Wilson "never [tells] an actor 'this means that "' (Wilson, 2001), just as he never tells his audience
the right way to interpret his work. Wilson prioritises the "spectator experience over narrative
allowing the spectator to participate and explore freely" (Hurstfield, 2019) By minimising the
amount of text used, Wilson allows the audience to interpret the images and apply them to their
own lives in order to create an individualised experience. Wilson "wants the spectator to really
free themselves from their backgrounds and preconceptions" so that "they can read a text
differently without interpretive baggage" (Canadian Opera Company) Emotional response and
instinctive reaction is therefore crucial in the spectator experience. Wilson wishes to "instill a
liminal state that [allows] the audience to experience inner visions" (Holmburg, 1996) Wilson
often draws no particular attention to one protagonist or character therefore making the
performance and story more universal and up for interpretation (Hurstfield, 2019).

Theatre assessed student work 1

 Example 1: Report

Word Count: 2482

The aspect of Wilson's theory that I have

c h o s e n t o e x p l o r e i s lighting a nd
composition. The theatre of visuals that he is
known for is highly dependent on the use of
light to create images. For Wilson, "what we
see can be as important as what we
hear" (Haven, 2008). Wilson has been
described to put in "obsessive care to the
smallest details" (Sterritt, 1985) for both lighting
and composition which ultimately give his
performances their unique aesthetic. His work Fig. 3 Wilson's production of The Lady from the sea -
with lighting has been compared to a "musical demonstration of light creating a surrealist aesthetic
score" by Steven Strawbrige, a lighting designer he frequently works with, that ultimately
creates a "total composition" (Holmberg, 1996) Wilson's precision may stem from his
background in visual art which has allowed him to recognise the importance of creating space
for the performers as if it were a character in itself (Sterritt, 1985) His performances possess a
"dreamlike surrealism" (Holmberg, 1996) that give them an ethereal quality, allowing the viewer
to interpret a performance more authentically despite their preconceptions of his theatre as
unconventional (Fig. 3).

Wilson believes that "Light is not an afterthought. It's something that is architectural, it's
structure, it's thought about from the beginning" (Wilson, 1994) He uses it to define the scene by
separating "all the elements from each other and control them independently" (Fishaut, 2008)
Often he will light the floor separately from the background, which will also be lit separately to
figures that may be illuminated in a specific way to convey meaning or emotion (Fig. 4) Light
helps to define space, but it also "helps us see and hear -- or prevents us from really seeing and
hearing" (Sterritt, 1985), which is important for the audience's interpretation of the production.
However the "seductiveness of this aesthetic...also depends on our willingness to be moved
with a childlike sense of wonder, allowing the inexplicable and beautiful before the critical mind
questions the denials at work in the fetishism of
images." (Birringer, 1993).

A typical set of Wilson's would be a large rear

projection screen with a cyclorama (Fig. 4) hung in
front of it set upstage that is used to "backlight actors
or objects and emphasize silhouette" (Holmberg,
1996) (Fig. 5). Generally the cyclorama is washed
with colors from strip lights and fluorescents that
diffuse into one another (Holmberg, 1996). Wilson
Cloth Screens - Transparent Chair
catch light washes - Refracts light to
Mirrored boxes
- reflect light
also uses sidelights as they "enhance the plasticity of
like Wilson's create rainbow - onto me and the body", which is important in Wilson's work as
symbolic of mixed
productions
identity
into space actors generally use their body language more than
verbal language. The sidelights also give the body
more dimension and create the "palpable texture" that
characterises his aesthetic (Holmberg, 1996). He also
uses contrasting colors and varied intensities of light
to allow the subjects to stand out against the
background. Apart from structural purposes, lighting
also helps inform meaning. Often, Wilson will create a
"hierarchical visual structure" in which he will take
advantage of the physiological reflexes of the eye
that are naturally drawn to brighter lights, and use this
Fig. 5 Wilson's production of Quartett - Use of focus to create a visual structure, also translating
backlight to create silhouette and colored side meaning or symbolism in the piece (Holmberg, 1996).
lights for downstage character
2
Theatre assessed student work 2
 Example 1: Report

Word Count: 2482

Formulating Theatre-Maker Intentions

Intention: Inspired by Robert Wilson's aesthetic, I intend to use lighting design, color theory and
visual composition to express the disconnect I feel within my identity and show a representation of
my journey to acceptance of its complexity. The intended impact I want to have to my multicultural
audience is for the abstract concepts I present to influence them to formulate their own
understanding of the piece and reflect on their own identities.

My stimulus is the idea of my own identity (Fig.

6), and through Wilson's theory, I wish to
explore the universality of identity and how
lighting design and the associated emotions
can express my perception of my identity. The
relationship I have with the cultural aspect of
my identity is nuanced and I felt that it would
not be able to be explored narratively, but
more emotionally. The concept of identity is
complex, and often hard to define, which is
why I thought the influence of Wilson's abstract
style and theory would be ideal. For this
reason I intend to maintain a more visually
symbolic performance.
Fig. 6 Mindmap of my identity and development of ideas

l- I Using Wilson's Theory to Create Intention:

As a performer I never considered how much light

can influence my work and thought it would be
interesting to explore. After watching Wilson's
work, specifically Peter Pan, and researching his
intentions, I was inspired by his style and
aesthetic (Fig. 7) His theatre of visuals theory
outlines the aesthetic that I desired to emanate
from my performance. I found that Wilson values
the idea of truth, while paradoxically, his
Fig. 7 Designing storyboard like Wilson's to create images performances often possess a dreamlike quality. I
that will portray my intention to the audience thought this dichotomous element of his theory
was interesting, but also relevant because the expression of one's identity should be an authentic
representation of the self, but also the desires and 'dreams' they may have about it. My
interpretation of dreams subverts the general idea of it as a cognitive phenomenon that occurs in
our sleep. I thought of how desires are often expressed in our dreams, and how one of my desires
is to feel more connected to my identity. This subtle connection influenced by Wilson's theory
inspired a development in my intention. Wilson says that he hates naturalism, so I thought that the
abstract nature of his performances would be perfect to represent the concept of identity (Wilson,
2019) He once said in an interview that "To experience something is a way of thinking" (Wilson,
2013) and as such, I want my audience to experience my piece and create their own meanings
rather than have a set foundation to what should be understood because I believe that identity,
and peoples perception of their own, is fluid. Therefore, there is no limit on the capacity to what an
audience might interpret. I want the images I create to appeal to the audience's emotion. Wilson
wants an "ongoing dialogue between the artist and his spectators that takes place by the dint of
the work of art itself" (Wilson & Anderson, 2011) which I thought was a desirable quality for a piece
of theatre to have. I wish to replicate how his theatre "depends for its pathos on our awareness of
the image's vulnerability" (Wilson & Anderson, 2011)

3
Theatre assessed student work 3
 Example 1: Report

Word Count: 2482

I want to use light to visually articulate my feelings

towards my identity. Generally, "Light works subliminally
on our feelings. They are one of theatre's strongest
■ Anger, Frustration, Passion,
Danger, Strength

weapons to create emotional climate."(Holmberg, 1996).

■
Joy, New, Comfortable, Fresh
When thinking about light, and Wilson's use of it, I think

■
Tranquility, Truth, Melancholy,
of color. To me, one of color's most prominent symbolic Wisdom, Understanding
functions is its association with emotion. When

■
Mix of red and blue energies,
developing my intention, I researched the psychological Power, Tension
effect that colors have on the mind to understand how I

□
Rejuvenation, Healing,
can use the light to portray the emotions I identify with Refreshing, Jealousy, Peace
(Fig. 8)

■
Purity, Clean, Healing,
Acceptance, Innocence
For my audience, I want an audience comprised of young
Blank, Empty, Lost, Absence,
adults who would have the experience to relate to the
Disorientation
topic of identity and its complexities, while also having
the mental capacity to formulate meaning from a rather
abstract piece. This is relevant to Wilson's preferred Fig. 8 Color Chart Research and Compilation
audience because in the past he has asked young - emotional connotations that are relevant to
my performance (Rikard, 2018)
children about his performances and though they
appreciated its aesthetics, they did mention that it was
rather slow (Haven, 2008) As I go to an international school, I thought the topic about the
individual would be relevant to a teenage international audience who may be able to empathise
with the emotions I feel are associated with my identity, as expressed through my lighting
composition and design. Ideally this connection I wish to manifest, and the atmosphere that I
create through the lighting, will heighten the spectator's experience.

Evaluating the Performance

In conventional western theatre "We desperately
try to reduce life to words. We spend most of our
time substituting language for
experience."(Holmberg, 1996). I wanted to explore
the power of images and lighting in my piece to
align with Wilson's value of the importance of
visuals over speech. Not only did my lighting make
"everything more dream-like" and "aesthetically
beautiful", but they also helped to "shape the
emotion" that the audience felt over the course of
the piece. Though my performance had no specific Fig. 9 Non-naturalistic, dreamlike atmosphere created
narrative, the audience was able to "see a new with blue wash with LEDs and line made from barn
doors on floor lights
episode of [my] story with [my] identity beginning
and ending" and commented on how it seemed to
be "more of an emotional journey than a narrative one." This was an important response to my
performance as it demonstrates how I intended to present my audience with a set of images in
order for them to create an emotional understanding (Fig. 9), like the understanding Wilson
wishes to achieve in his performances.

My audience's reception of the piece was often analytical and creative, which was most likely
stimulated by the visually alluring design and specificity of the lighting. There was an abundance
of comments on the influence of my lighting design on their interpretation of my performance.
Just as Wilson's "painterly and architectural sensibility can compose an alluring poetry of
light" (Birringer, 1993), I believe my piece was able to achieve a similar outcome and influence
the audience to create their own interpretations. While some believed that the lighting
represented my "character's separation from her identity", others believed that it showed how I
was "trying to create [my] identity" with the different lighting states representing "different
4
Theatre assessed student work 4
 Example 1: Report

Word Count: 2482

cultures" or aspects of my identity (Fig. 10) I chose to use colors to represent the
multidimensional quality of my identity, so at the beginning I chose to use a gradient of colored
LED lights (Fig. 11) One audience's perspective of this lighting state was that it was symbolic of
"the various aspects of [my] identity mix together within [me]" and how there is "not one colour

Fig. 1 O Colors of Brazilian flag (center - blue, yellow Fig. 11 Gradient of color created by yellow, green, blue
surrounding, OS green flood) a cultural quarter of my LEDs and floor light with red gel washing over back
identity screen
that encompasses the entirety of who [I am]". This feedback
made it apparent that my intention had been achieved to a
significant degree. One audience member commented on how
the lighting made them feel "as if [they] belonged, as if [they]
were at home" which was surprising as I was not anticipating
this association between the audience and my performance
so this felt gratifying. What was also interesting was how an
audience member said the performance made them reflect on
being "third culture kid...not knowing enough about either the
country [they're] from or the country [they] live in" This relates
Fig. 12 Silhouette created against red wash
with LEDs - symbolises frustration, passion to the section of my intention where I wanted my audience to
reflect on their own identities.

Often in Wilson's work "light expresses the unconscious -

thoughts and feelings hiding just beneath the skin...language
cannot speak them" (Holmberg, 1996) Wilson likes to use
contrasting colors in his pieces as a way to express the
characters emotions and make them stand out. I thought it
would be relevant in my lighting design to express my
Fig. 13 Blue wash with 50% intensity and
backlights to create silhouette
intention. I frequently contrast warmer hued colors such as a
wash of red light (Fig. 12) to washes of blues (Fig. 13) as a
way to exemplify the conflicting feelings towards having mixed
identities and having the desire to feel more connected to
each. In my research I found that psychologically, red is
communicates feelings of frustration, while cooler colors are
generally perceived as relaxing or associated with
acceptance. I intended to use the contrast of these hues to
support my intention of expressing the disconnect and
Fig. 14 One LED strip washing outer edges
of screens green leaving center white -
confliction emotions towards my identity, which was
peace and acceptance of identity successfully interpreted as my character's "struggle to come
to terms with each conflicting aspect." However the conclusion
where I used a white backlight and green LEDS (Fig. 14)
which later transitioned to my initial multicolored lighting state was intended to show an
acceptance of my multicultural identity, which was interpreted as how I "made peace with [my]
identity." It seems that while my audience understood a significant amount about the
relationship with my own identity, they were also able to make connections to their own lives,
some that I did not anticipate, overall aligning with all elements of my intention.

Theatre assessed student work 5

 Example 1: Report

Works Cited
Als, Hilton. "Slow Man I Robert Wilson and his First Masterpiece." The New Yorker, 10 Sept. 2012,
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/09/17/slow-man.

Canadian Opera Company. "The Wilsonian World I Discussing Robert Wilson." YouTube, 8 Sept. 2019,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4MCqRXclvk. Accessed 29 Feb. 2020.

Crane.tv. "Robert Wilson." YouTube, 19 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ee7goGFEA.

Fishaut, Anna. "Presidential Lectures: Robert Wilson." Stanford Presidential Lectures in the Humanities
and Arts, Stanford University I Stanford Humanities Center, 2008, prelectur.stantord.edu/lecturers/
wilson/.

Haven, Cynthia. "Avant-garde Director Robert Wilson: 'What We See Can Be As Important As What We
Hear'." Stanford University, 8 Oct. 2008, news.stanford.edu/news/2008/october8/wilsontwo-100808.html.

Holmberg, Arthur. The Theatre of Robert Wilson. Cambridge UP, 1996.

Hurstfield, Tuirenn. "Robert Wilson's Theatre of Visuals (postmodernism in Practice)." Tuirenn Hurstfield,
16 Mar. 2019, www.tuirennhurstfield.com/robert-wilsons-theatre-of-visuals-postmodern-in-practice/.
Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

Rikard. "The Psychology of Color: A Designer's Guide to Color Association & Meaning." ZevenDesign,
12 Oct. 2018, zevendesign.com/color-association/#green.

Sterritt, David. "Robert Wilson, Master of Experimental Theater." The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar.
1985, www.csmonitor.com/1985/0307/lwil.html. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

Wilson, Robert. Robert Wilson, the Theater of Images. Harpercollins, 1984.

Wilson, Robert, and Laurie Anderson. Robert Wilson: From Within. Edited by Margery A. Safir,
Flammarion-Pere Castor, 2011.

Wilson, Robert. "About - Robert Wilson." Robert Wilson, www.robertwilson.com/about.

---. "Interview with John Bell I Theatre Week." Interview by John Bell. Robert Wilson, 3 Jan. 1994,
www.robertwilson.com/press-kit.

Wilson, Robert, and Canadian Opera Company. "Robert Wilson on His Approach to Theatre." YouTube,
30 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8J8cE3yp_w. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.

Wilson, Robert. Interview by The Vima. Robert Wilson, 2001, www.robertwilson.com/press-kit.

6
Theatre assessed student work 6
 Example 1: Report

Figures

Fig. 1 - ---. "Deafman Glance." Photograph. Robert Wilson, www.robertwilson.com/deafman­

glance.

Fig. 2 - Wilson, Robert, and Phillip Glass. Einstein on the Beach. Dilectica !Dissident Industries,
2012.

Fig. 3 - Romano, Luciano. The Lady from the Sea I SESC Santos, Brazil. Photograph. Robert
Wilson, 2013, www.robertwilson.com/lady-from-the-sea. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.

Fig. 4 - Student name. Image of Set. 20 Feb. 2020.

Fig. 5 - Termine, Richard. "Quartett": Robert Wilson adapts Heiner Muller's play at the Harvey
Theater. Photograph. The New York Times, 5 Nov. 2009, archive.nytimes.com/
www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/11 /05/theater/06quartet2.html. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.

Fig. 6 - Student name. Image of Emotion towards Identity Mind-map. 1 Mar. 2020

Fig. 7 - Student name. Image of Solo Storyboard. 1 Mar. 2020

Fig. 8 - Student name. Color Chart with Information. 5 Mar. 2020

Fig. 9 - Student name. Image of Solo Dress Rehearsal. 20 Feb. 2020.

Fig. 10 - Teacher name. Screenshot from Solo Performance Video. 5 Mar. 2020.

Fig. 11 - Student name. Image of Solo Dress Rehearsal. 20 Feb. 2020.

Fig. 12 - Student name. Image of Red Silhouette from Solo Performance. 20 Feb. 2020.

Fig. 13 - Teacher. Screenshot from Solo Performance Video. 5 Mar. 2020.

Fig. 14 - Teacher. Screenshot from Solo Performance Video. 5 Mar. 2020.

7
Theatre assessed student work 7