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.