Unforeseen performativity: mediation proposals by the iNerTE group to build a debate inside out

Abstract

Before a work of art, the reading of the different signs offered takes place both on the work and beyond it, the reading of the scene corresponds to creations recovered by spectators, always in different and unpredictable ways. This study describes the mediation studies carried out by the iNerTE group (Unstable Center for Theatrical Reception Studies), which seeks to intertwine the study of reception theories and the mediation practice proposed to spectators. Among the mediation actions organized by the group, we highlight the dialogues with spectators, which took place after the presentation of shows, called debate in reverse. As a case study, we describe the debate on the theatrical show 66 minutes in Damascus, presented at the 1st International Theater Biennial of the University of São Paulo – Incendiary Realities, in 2013. This analysis shows that participants’ engagement in a debate, rather than taking place just for fun and considering the playful environment in which it can be established, requires sharing the purpose of being there. We find that the reflective axes of the research the group developed created an invitation, highlighting the primordial moment in which spectators revisit their own references in search of reading the artistic signs presented by the work.