Adopting Phenomenology in Directing: A Case Study of Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden”

Abstract

The main aims of this research are to learn from the director’s experience for her inspiration in directing Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden”, and to gain insights from her directing experience for Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden” through the process of Performance as Research intertwined with the principles of Phenomenology. Data has been collected from the director’s notebooks, photographs, video recordings, the play’s poster, the researcher’s participatory observations, interviews, conversations, and audience’s feedbacks through all source of media platforms. The study indicates that, regarding the experience learning through director’s inspirations, the inspirations include respects to artists and theatre designers, impression towards the playscript, the study of the play’s background, working in collaboration with respectable dramaturg resulting in the director’s worldview being broadened. These inspirations are the source of energy for the director’s creative work. Concerning the directing experience, the focuses have been placed on concise narration leading to the main conflict to be able to communicate the main theme vividly and effectively, characters’ psychology together with actors’ body and voice expressions, and energy and balance in characters’ expression through interpretation of characters’ ultimate goals and their sufferings; all of which has been interpreted through the director’s personal experience. Even though the play is originally foreign, it has been translated and adapted by experienced and talented dramaturg and directed by the director who completely understands the core of the play. The play has also been stage-designed to communicate the story’s conflict by enlarging the pain of sufferers and the violent acts of the power abusers leaving some compelling impact on the audience. In addition, the production team, consisting mainly of university students, can understand and relate to the playscript and characters as well as associate with their own learning process both in terms of acting skill and life-living skill. The researcher, also serving as the play’s director, has gained in-depth understanding of the play’s core, tones, and presentational styles. There are some other issues to extend and create from the play in which phenomenology and the process of performance as research can be further adopted.