Performative Theatre And The Provocation Of The Eventfulness: A Case Study From The Argentine Stage

Abstract

This article examines performative theatre in terms of its capacity to generate eventful experiences. This contemporary form of theatricality proposes modes of experience that strain the spectator’s perceptual thresholds. Our argument is grounded in Erika Fischer-Lichte’s aesthetic of the performative (The transformative power of performance: A new aesthetics) and engages with the poetic-programmatic contributions of A. Artaud and J. Grotowski, tracing a conceptual line centered on work-audience interaction, co-presence, and scenic materiality that underpins the perspective adopted. Methodologically, we articulate analytical axes that link theoretical aspects with concrete theatrical practice through the case study of Fragments of passion, a work by the obcaenum collective (San Juan, Argentina). We argue that the observed procedures —which affect dramaturgical construction, performers’ modes of physical presence, and the treatment of stage/scenic materiality— operate as fundamental pillars of performative theatre, as evidenced in the case analyzed.