Araştırma Makalesi
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Beyond Verbatim: Embodied Truth and the Limits of Language in House Arrest

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 2 Sayı: 2, 136 - 152, 19.09.2024
https://doi.org/10.62425/theatreacademy.1530109

Öz

In an era marked by the proliferation of media images and the blurring of fact and fabrication, Anna Deavere Smith’s House Arrest (1999) offers a compelling exploration of truth, language and the pervasive influence of media in shaping public perception. Through verbatim text, minimalist staging and emotionally resonant performance, Smith highlights how individuals, particularly those from marginalised groups, are vulnerable to having their narratives distorted or controlled by those in power. In light of media effects theories, including framing, agenda-setting and Marshall McLuhan’s concepts of the ‘global village’ and ‘the medium is the message,’ this article analyses how the play compels a critical examination of media manipulation and the subtle ways language constructs individuals’ understanding of truth. Transcending its historical context, House Arrest emerges as a timely call for heightened media literacy and a discerning approach to information consumption in a world increasingly characterised by political polarisation and misinformation. Ultimately, Smith advocates for an active engagement with diverse perspectives and a recognition of the limitations of language by encouraging the audience to cultivate a more conscious and critical relationship with the information that surrounds them.

Kaynakça

  • Anonymous. (2000). House Arrest. TheaterMania. https://www.theatermania.com/news/house-arrest_404/
  • Aras, D. & Beşe, A. (2023) Anna Deavere Smith’in Solo Performanslarında Kimlik ve Direniş Performansı. Atatürk University Publications.
  • Bottoms, S. (2006). Putting the document into documentary: An unwelcome corrective? TDR/The Drama Review, 50(3), 56-68. https://doi.org/10.1162/dram.2006.50.3.56
  • Dolan, J. (2008). Utopia in performance: Finding hope at the theater. University of Michigan Press.
  • Keen, C. F. (2017). Behind the words: The art of documentary and verbatim theatre [Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University]. Flinders University. https://www.academia.edu/34581568/Behind_the_Words_The_Art_of_Documentary_and_Verbatim_Theatre
  • Lemoine, X. (2013). Embodying Hybridity: Anna Deavere Smith’s Identity Cross-Overs. In: Crémieux, A., Lemoine, X., Rocchi, JP. (eds) Understanding Blackness through Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137313805_14
  • MacArthur Foundation. (1996). Anna Deavere Smith. https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-1996/anna-deavere-smith
  • McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.
  • Najera, M. (2014). Final report on professional development activity: “Tectonic Theater Project LA Workshop” [Unpublished manuscript]. Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles.
  • Paget, D. (1987). ‘Verbatim theatre’: Oral history and documentary techniques. New Theatre Quarterly, 3(12), 317-336. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266464x00002463
  • Paget, D. (2008). New documentarism on stage: Documentary theatre in new times. Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik, 56(2), 129-141. https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa.2008.56.2.129
  • Schechner, R. (1993). Anna Deavere Smith: Acting as Incorporation. TDR, 37, 63.
  • Severin, W. J. & Tankard, J. W. (2014). Communication Theories:Origins, Methods and Uses in the Mass Media. Pearson New International Edition.
  • Smith, A. D. (2003). House Arrest: A search for American character in and around the White House, past and present. Dramatists Play Service Inc.
  • Smith, A. D. (2004). House arrest and piano. Anchor Books.
  • Smith, A. D. (2021). Transcript of “Four American Characters.” Ted.Com. https://www.ted.com/talks/anna_deavere_smith_four_american_characters/transcript#t-238953
  • Tankard, J. W., Jr., Hendrickson, L., Silberman, J., Bliss, K. & Ghanem, S. (1991). Media frames and the Watergate scandal: A close analysis of CBS Evening News. Journalism Quarterly, 68(1-2), 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909106800110
  • Wake, C. (2010). Towards a working definition of verbatim theatre. In P. Brown (Ed.), Verbatim: Staging memory & community (pp. 5-21). Currency Press.

Verbatim’in Ötesinde: House Arrest’te Vücut Bulan Hakikat ve Dilin Sınırları

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 2 Sayı: 2, 136 - 152, 19.09.2024
https://doi.org/10.62425/theatreacademy.1530109

Öz

Medya imgelerinin çoğaldığı ve gerçek ile uydurmanın bulanıklaştığı bir çağda, Anna Deavere Smith’in House Arrest (1999) eseri hakikatin, dilin ve medyanın kamusal algıyı şekillendirmedeki yaygın etkisinin ilgi çekici bir incelemesini sunar. Verbatim metin, minimalist sahneleme ve duygusal açıdan yankı uyandıran performans aracılığıyla Smith, özellikle marjinal gruplardan gelen bireylerin anlatılarının iktidardakiler tarafından çarpıtılmaya veya kontrol edilmeye karşı nasıl savunmasız olduklarını vurguluyor. Çerçeveleme (framing), gündem belirleme (agenda-setting) ve Marshall McLuhan’ın ‘küresel köy’ (global village ) ve ‘araç mesajdır’ (the medium is the message) kavramları da dahil olmak üzere medya etkileri teorileri ışığında bu makale, oyunun medya manipülasyonuna dair eleştirel bir incelemeyi nasıl zorunlu kıldığını ve dilin bireylerin hakikat anlayışını nasıl incelikli bir şekilde inşa ettiğini analiz etmektedir. Tarihsel bağlamını aşan House Arrest, siyasi kutuplaşma ve yanlış bilgilendirmeyle giderek daha fazla karakterize edilen bir dünyada, artan medya okuryazarlığı ve bilgi tüketimine yönelik seçici bir yaklaşım için zamanında yapılmış bir çağrı olarak ortaya çıkıyor. Sonuç olarak Smith, izleyicileri onları çevreleyen bilgilerle daha bilinçli ve eleştirel bir ilişki kurmaya teşvik ederek farklı bakış açılarıyla aktif bir etkileşimi ve dilin sınırlarının tanınmasını savunur.

Kaynakça

  • Anonymous. (2000). House Arrest. TheaterMania. https://www.theatermania.com/news/house-arrest_404/
  • Aras, D. & Beşe, A. (2023) Anna Deavere Smith’in Solo Performanslarında Kimlik ve Direniş Performansı. Atatürk University Publications.
  • Bottoms, S. (2006). Putting the document into documentary: An unwelcome corrective? TDR/The Drama Review, 50(3), 56-68. https://doi.org/10.1162/dram.2006.50.3.56
  • Dolan, J. (2008). Utopia in performance: Finding hope at the theater. University of Michigan Press.
  • Keen, C. F. (2017). Behind the words: The art of documentary and verbatim theatre [Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University]. Flinders University. https://www.academia.edu/34581568/Behind_the_Words_The_Art_of_Documentary_and_Verbatim_Theatre
  • Lemoine, X. (2013). Embodying Hybridity: Anna Deavere Smith’s Identity Cross-Overs. In: Crémieux, A., Lemoine, X., Rocchi, JP. (eds) Understanding Blackness through Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137313805_14
  • MacArthur Foundation. (1996). Anna Deavere Smith. https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-1996/anna-deavere-smith
  • McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.
  • Najera, M. (2014). Final report on professional development activity: “Tectonic Theater Project LA Workshop” [Unpublished manuscript]. Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles.
  • Paget, D. (1987). ‘Verbatim theatre’: Oral history and documentary techniques. New Theatre Quarterly, 3(12), 317-336. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266464x00002463
  • Paget, D. (2008). New documentarism on stage: Documentary theatre in new times. Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik, 56(2), 129-141. https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa.2008.56.2.129
  • Schechner, R. (1993). Anna Deavere Smith: Acting as Incorporation. TDR, 37, 63.
  • Severin, W. J. & Tankard, J. W. (2014). Communication Theories:Origins, Methods and Uses in the Mass Media. Pearson New International Edition.
  • Smith, A. D. (2003). House Arrest: A search for American character in and around the White House, past and present. Dramatists Play Service Inc.
  • Smith, A. D. (2004). House arrest and piano. Anchor Books.
  • Smith, A. D. (2021). Transcript of “Four American Characters.” Ted.Com. https://www.ted.com/talks/anna_deavere_smith_four_american_characters/transcript#t-238953
  • Tankard, J. W., Jr., Hendrickson, L., Silberman, J., Bliss, K. & Ghanem, S. (1991). Media frames and the Watergate scandal: A close analysis of CBS Evening News. Journalism Quarterly, 68(1-2), 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909106800110
  • Wake, C. (2010). Towards a working definition of verbatim theatre. In P. Brown (Ed.), Verbatim: Staging memory & community (pp. 5-21). Currency Press.
Toplam 18 adet kaynakça vardır.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil İngilizce
Konular Edebi Çalışmalar (Diğer), Tiyatro Kuramı
Bölüm Araştırma Makaleleri/Research Articles
Yazarlar

Mehmet Ünal 0000-0002-6857-2940

Erken Görünüm Tarihi 19 Eylül 2024
Yayımlanma Tarihi 19 Eylül 2024
Gönderilme Tarihi 8 Ağustos 2024
Kabul Tarihi 16 Eylül 2024
Yayımlandığı Sayı Yıl 2024 Cilt: 2 Sayı: 2

Kaynak Göster

APA Ünal, M. (2024). Beyond Verbatim: Embodied Truth and the Limits of Language in House Arrest. Theatre Academy, 2(2), 136-152. https://doi.org/10.62425/theatreacademy.1530109

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