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COSTUMES AND MASKS (making a change (masking identity (cease to be…
COSTUMES AND MASKS
making a change
masking identity
cease to be ourselves
conceal identity & emotions
conceal intentions
don't feel same responsibility?
cannot be recognised
won't be used as evidence
inhibition
less impeded by fear/shame
axton - mummers black face -> anonymity
unbalanced relationship
behaviour changes
heightened if people don't know who you are
anxiety due to strangeness of encounter
new balance of power
all attention there
audience at disadvantage
vulnerable
new freedoms/rules
stepping out of normal time
examples
ireland - strawboys
ritualised rebellion
symbolic reversal of roles
customary right to wear disguises/demand
disruptive/violent
rowdiness/confrontation
inversion of normal behaviour
cross dressing/inside out
lyle - mummers plays
ritual power
bestow power
c.f. magical objects/garments
in the mask/costume itself
released when put on
mask/spirit that performs
audience also transformed
temporal transformation
overview
purpose
conceal/change identity
creates 'as if' world
playful or powerful
ritual, myth, religious
allow us to pretend
history
c.20,000 years
death, shamanistic, celebration
ancient civilisations
ritual and theatre
pretty much universal
disparaged by church
immoral behaviour
survive with carnival
entering dramatic tradition
renaissance
secular theatre
use in performance
actor's utilisation
need to be sure audience knows
M/C presents character
also protects actor's identity
signifies is not real life
huizinga
through disguise play is perfected
masks more important
mask is the character
individual's personality suppressed
drama about presenting human behaviour
need to know when someone is performing
distinguish border
in part from tension/excitement
power of disguise
distinct reality
step out of daily life
transported into different reality
theatre - 'as if' happens
how easily we give ourselves up
belief in characters
symbolism
nature and life
passed down & acted out
life energies - human/animal form
rituals - continuation of life
often masked
separation, management, continuation
normal life eclipsed by animality & nature
also regenerated
whole community
reflect/part of the rhythm