Laughable Practice: Body, Pleasure and Play
Pysyvä osoite
Verkkojulkaisu
Tiivistelmä
Laughable Practice investigates the use of pleasure and playfulness as tools towards creativity and as ways to defy oppressive power
structures. It identifies the patriarchal and normative traditions of European theatre that may be hindering one’s creative practice and
actively looks for ways out. The exploration focuses on the writing and directing process of my thesis project Abundance – Feels Like
Flying, written during my studies in University of Paris Nanterre throughout 2024 and premiering in the Theatre Hall of University of the
Arts Helsinki in 2025.
In this thesis, I position myself as a theatre maker who is entering the field of dramaturgy, writing and directing from a background in
acting. To contextualise the research, I discuss my educational and professional path and the feminist findings I have made throughout the
years. I investigate feminist writer and scholar Hélène Cixous’s practice of écriture féminine and its possibilities as a body-based writing
practice and a springboard to alternative dramaturgies. To gain better understanding of Cixous’s theories, I briefly discuss Lacanian
psychoanalysis and map out the development of feminist theatre in Europe, especially in the UK and France. In the exploration of the use of
pleasure and play, I reference the work of Cixous as well as European physical theatre traditions deriving from Jacques Lecoq and Jerzy
Grotowski’s work.
The thesis is structured in three parts. In the first part I present my practice as a theatre maker and discuss the challenges that patriarchal and
normative traditions of European theatre have posed to me. In the second part I lay out the theory of écriture féminine and consider its
possibilities in my work, address different dramaturgical structures and finally describe my process of writing Abundance – Feels Like
Flying. The third part is reserved for description and reflection on the directing process of the performance and some underlying principles
behind it. The appendix includes two versions of the script, to give context to the reflection of the writing and directing process. The scripts
are written in Finnish, but English translations can be provided upon request. I am investigating the research question through practical
research, artistic work and theory.
The findings suggest that physical work focusing on pleasure can work as a gateway to finding one’s voice. For me, the work led to visual
writing, alternative dramaturgies and play. Playfulness proved out to be a tool for creativity but also a way to resist oppressive power
structures and enjoy one’s work. Playfulness also aided in creation of a caring and equal working environment.