史伯丁．葛瑞、安娜．德維爾．史密斯與艾瑞克．伯格森等三位單人獨白劇中的表演策略
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2007
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本論文藉由班雅明(Benjamin)的「歷史概念」(history)、列維納斯（Levinas）的「他者的倫理責任」（ethical responsibility for the other）與利普茲(Lipsitz)「相對記憶」(counter-memory)的概念探討史伯丁．葛瑞(Spalding Gray)，安娜．德維爾．史密斯(Anna Deavere Smith)與艾瑞克．柏格森(Eric Bogosian)等三位美國劇場界中單人獨白劇裡的表演策略。此一探究表演策略主要是分析三位表演者如何運用外在的模仿，例如肢體動作、言談模式、服裝與聲調等，再現社會／政治／文化他者。此社會／政治／文化他者是指於主流社會中被排擠至社會邊緣不具任何發聲機會的邊緣人。由於三者的作品，不論是在內容與形式上，均承襲由30至60年代發展出的紀錄劇場(documentary theater)。因此，第一章除了追溯紀錄劇場的歷史背景外，亦探討其對史伯丁．葛瑞、安娜．德維爾．史密斯與艾瑞克．柏格森等人於創作上的影響。此外，筆者亦彙整評論家對此三位表演者的批評，並點出批評者於分析三位表演者作品時的盲點。
第二章著墨於史伯丁．葛瑞的《泳至高棉》(Swimming to Cambodia)與《盒中怪物》(Monster in a Box)二齣劇中如何藉由敘述與表演策略(narration and performance strategies)學習歷史真相過程中如何呈現劇中所謂社會/政治他者(social/political Other)。兩部作品均是以主人翁葛瑞敘述他自己的記憶(memory)為主軸。這些社會/政治他者是指《泳至高棉》劇中主人翁葛瑞於泰國拍戲時，所遇到在越南戰爭中存活下來的高棉人與泰國當地人。藉由與這些人的接觸，劇中人葛瑞得之關於高棉的歷史、美軍介入越戰的經過與美軍秘密轟炸高棉的活動。過程中，劇中人葛瑞了解到歷史真相的殘酷。《盒中怪物》則是描述主人翁葛瑞於尼加拉瓜為電影公司找尋拍攝題材時，經由與當地人接觸而得知美軍介入尼加拉瓜內政過程中，如何凌虐當地戰犯的歷史。
第三章探討安娜．德維爾．史密斯之《曙光:洛杉磯，1992》(Twilight: Los Angeles，1992)與《鏡中火》(Fires in the Mirror)二劇中史密斯如何運用她的受訪者的話語為其二劇的素材。除了探究史密斯如何以劇作者與表演者此二身分客觀地挪用訪談者的話語呈現他者之外，本章亦分析史密斯如何藉由模仿其受訪者的肢體與語言來呈現這些受訪者。《曙光:洛杉磯，1992》與《鏡中火》二劇均紀錄人們對於種族暴動後的想法與態度的作品。前者是紀錄於1992年發生於洛杉磯的暴動，導火線是一支為新聞媒體播放錄到白人警察毆打黑人的影帶；由於事後白人警察被宣判無罪而引起暴動。為了解造成暴動真正的原因，史密斯訪問了與此一事件有直接或間接關聯的人的想法。《鏡中火》則是一齣關於1991年發生在紐約黑人區暴動的作品。原由是猶太人駕駛闖紅燈導致一位黑人男童死亡與一位黑人女童嚴重受傷。數小時後，一群年輕黑人於街角刺死一位來自澳洲的猶太人。暴動於焉產生。如同《曙光:洛杉磯，1992》，此一作品中的人物都是史密斯所訪問的人。
第四章討論艾瑞克．柏格森的《性、毒品、搖滾樂》(Sex, Drugs, Rock& Roll)與《歡樂屋》(Funhouse)兩劇中柏格森如何經由模仿所謂社會／文化他者(social/cultural Other)的肢體與話語來批判資本主義社會下各眾生相之生活百態。《性、毒品、搖滾樂》紀錄了九零年代人們對於性、毒品與搖滾樂的態度；藉由此一態度與社會低下階層人物的描繪柏格森批判資本主義所造成的社會問題，例如毒品氾濫、性濫交、勞工剝削與犯罪問題。《歡樂屋》一劇則可被視為《性、毒品、搖滾樂》一劇的雛型，此一作品的重心在於描繪資本主義中上層與下層社會裡人們的生活百態，包含勢力的商人、流浪漢、假博愛主義者與失意的藝術家。如同葛瑞與史密斯的表演策略，柏格森的策略亦是模擬這些現實生活中人的語言、體態、行為舉止與聲調。
第五章除了指出三位表演者於呈現劇中社會／政治／文化他者時無意識地將這些他者化約為語言，肢體與外表的元素之外，筆者亦探討「自我」（self）如何壓抑「他者」（the Other）的發聲，而「他者」又如何在壓抑、被動中尋得發聲的機會，展現與「自我」的不同。這種獨白往往因為政治意識或其他的意識形態而剪裁、選擇，甚或編纂了自己原先所經歷的事物，導致無法原始地呈現出歷史事件與切斷了人與自我、人與人、人與社會與人與自然等四面向於共時以及歷史的關聯性。所謂他者的生存境遇，是指他者在人與人，社會與自然等方面獲得的整體性認識和體驗。可以從共時性地解釋生存境遇與戲劇語言的關係，從理論上分析他者境遇是引起戲劇語言發生變化的主要動力；與歷時性地描述戲劇語言的變化，在實踐中核對總和考察他者境遇對戲劇語言的影響。因此，社會性（social context）與歷史性（historical context）時為探討他者再現(representation of the Other)時必須考量的面向，而不能只專注於作品本身忽略當下的政治與社會情境，以避免如同葛瑞、史密斯與柏格森等人，於探討他者再現時所可能面臨的盲點。
This dissertation aims to explore the performance of the Other in works by Spalding Gray, Anna Deavere Smith, and Eric Bogosian in conjunction with applications of two theoretical frameworks: Emmanuel Levinas’s concept of ethical responsibility, Walter Benjamin’s idea of history, and George Lipsitz’s use of counter-memory in the retelling of history. Through the examination of the Other, as it is articulated and presented in the form of monologues adopted by these three representative voices of documentary performance art, I will seek to illuminate the nature of the playwright’s ethical responsibility when appropriating actual historical/social/political events in performance. Here the term, ethical responsibility, refers to standards of human rights and justice with which to gauge whether or not Gray, Smith, and Bogosian by their strategies of selecting, conducting, and editing actual sociopolitical and historical events for their onstage performances foster prejudicial opinions in the audience. If this is the case, Gray, Smith, and Bogosian might be twisting these historical and sociopolitical materials for their own purposes without recognizing their own subjective shortcomings. Ethical bias would be present if this were the case. Are Gray, Smith, and Bogosian using their privilege as celebrities to gain access to the pain and suffering of the marginalized ethnic groups and/or participants present in their texts for onstage performance? Furthermore, the term ethical responsibility as it is used in this dissertation does not refer to the ends or goals of a moral code outlined by traditional moral philosophy, but rather concentrates on the means by which these three playwrights maintain their subjectivity while objectively formulating their theatrical texts in onstage performances. The purpose of this project is to shed new light on the criticism of contemporary documentary performance art by, as I hope to achieve, constructing a new paradigm for the analysis of solo performance monologues.
This dissertation aims to explore the performance of the Other in works by Spalding Gray, Anna Deavere Smith, and Eric Bogosian in conjunction with applications of two theoretical frameworks: Emmanuel Levinas’s concept of ethical responsibility, Walter Benjamin’s idea of history, and George Lipsitz’s use of counter-memory in the retelling of history. Through the examination of the Other, as it is articulated and presented in the form of monologues adopted by these three representative voices of documentary performance art, I will seek to illuminate the nature of the playwright’s ethical responsibility when appropriating actual historical/social/political events in performance. Here the term, ethical responsibility, refers to standards of human rights and justice with which to gauge whether or not Gray, Smith, and Bogosian by their strategies of selecting, conducting, and editing actual sociopolitical and historical events for their onstage performances foster prejudicial opinions in the audience. If this is the case, Gray, Smith, and Bogosian might be twisting these historical and sociopolitical materials for their own purposes without recognizing their own subjective shortcomings. Ethical bias would be present if this were the case. Are Gray, Smith, and Bogosian using their privilege as celebrities to gain access to the pain and suffering of the marginalized ethnic groups and/or participants present in their texts for onstage performance? Furthermore, the term ethical responsibility as it is used in this dissertation does not refer to the ends or goals of a moral code outlined by traditional moral philosophy, but rather concentrates on the means by which these three playwrights maintain their subjectivity while objectively formulating their theatrical texts in onstage performances. The purpose of this project is to shed new light on the criticism of contemporary documentary performance art by, as I hope to achieve, constructing a new paradigm for the analysis of solo performance monologues.
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倫理, 單人獨白劇, 表演策略, 歷史, 記憶, ethics, solo performance monologue, performance politics, history, memory