The disturbing physicality in the contemporary theatre

Contemporary theatre is frequently based on the refusal of the mimetic restitution of man. The defeated man, the disappearing body, allows the speech to be incarnated on stage in its full depth. In addition, this duality of the speaking and spoken body finds its culmination in the form of the puppet or effigy, which leaves the spectator in hesitation between the mechanical and the living. The puppet clearly changes the traditional view of itself. In contemporary theatre, the performer’s body is more often seen as its equal partner. Moreover, it is not the puppet that imitates an actor in his movements, but it is the actor that legitimizes his existence on stage by imitating the puppet. What experiences can emerge from this confrontation between the human body and that of the marionette? Can the body of an actor still be seen as an anthropological signifier?

Keywords: contemporary drama; scenography; puppet; body; transfiguration; Valère Novarina; The Wooster Group; Gisèle Vienne; Dafa Puppet