UBKKDBK054 Happening, performance art and off-off theatre

Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Tomáš Kubart, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Tomáš Kubart, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jana Cindlerová, Ph.D.
Institute of The Czech Language and Library Science – Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Prerequisites
The course is intended for students of bachelor, master and doctoral programmes.
The study prerequisite is a basic orientation in the theoretical approaches and methodologies of theatre studies, especially structuralism, phenomenology and performativity, and a basic orientation in the history of art in the second half of the 20th century.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The seminar will introduce students to the developmental assumptions of the so-called second theatrical reform (Off-off-Broadway Theatre) and its manifestations in the forms of action art happening, performance art and body art. After successful completion of the course, participants should be able to distinguish its individual forms in the form of happening, performance art, body art in the range of action art and to name the formal similarities/connections with the so-called second theatrical reform. The historiographical approach will be combined with the offer of methodological approaches (structuralist, phenomenological, psychoanalytical, cognitive) to the analysis and interpretation of various forms of action art, using visual, textual and audiovisual documentation.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to: - Identify and summarize the important features of individual manifestations of action art
- Identify and describe contemporary domestic and international characteristics of performance art and happening
- Understand and explain the aesthetics of performativity
- Perceive theatrical performance as action
- Apply structuralist, phenomenological and performative methodologies to performance/performance art piece
- Analyze a performance/performance art piece
Syllabus
  • 1. Performance art and performativity
  • 2. Performativity in literature, visual art and music
  • 3. American Happening and Fluxus
  • 4. Nouveau réalisme (French happening) and Japanese happening
  • 5. Czechoslovak happening
  • 6. Aesthetics of Shock and Günter Brus
  • 7. Viennese Actionism: Otto Muehl, Rudolf Schwarzkogler
  • 8. Re-ritualization of art: Hermann Nitsch
  • 9. Antonin Artaud: The Theatre of Cruelty
  • 10. Living Theatre, Jerzy Grotowski and Odin Teatret
  • 11. Body art: Ron Athey, Franko B. and Marina Abramović
  • 12. Contemporary Czech performance
Literature
    required literature
  • PRIESSNITZ, R. (ed.) 2012. Amor Psýché akce – Vídeň: ženský element ve vídeňském akcionismu.Praha: DOX.
  • KOŘÁN, J. a OSLZLÝ, P. 1982. Living Theatre. Praha: Jazzová sekce.
  • FISCHER-LICHTE, Erika. 2000. Estetika performativity. Mníšek pod Brdy: Na konári.
  • AUSTIN, John Langshaw. 2000. Jak udělat něco slovy. Praha: Filosofia nebo AUSTIN, John Langshaw. 2022. Jak něco udělat pomocí slov. Praha: Filosofia.
  • MORGANOVÁ, Pavlína. 1999. Akční umění. Olomouc: Votobia.
  • KAPROW, Allan. 1967. Assamblage, environments and happenings. New York: Abrams.
  • BUTLER, Judith. 2016. Závažná těla. O materialitě a diskursivních mezích „pohlaví“. Praha: Nakladatelství Karolinum.
  • REZEK, Petr. 1982. Tělo, věc a skutečnost. Praha: Jazzová sekce.
  • ARTAUD, Antonin. 1994. Divadlo a jeho dvojenec. Praha: Hermann a synové.
    recommended literature
  • KARRER, Michael (ed.) 2015. Nitsch. Das Gesamtkunstwerk des Orgien Mysterien Theaters. Vídeň: Verlag der Buchhandlung König.
  • WARD, Ossian. 2022. Marina Abramović. London: Laurence King Publishing.
  • WEIBEL, Peter, ed. 1998. Die Wiener Gruppe. The Vienna Group. A moment of modernity 1954–1969. Vídeň – New York: Springer
  • KOPECKÝ, Jan. 1994. Antonin Artaud: poslední z prokletých. Praha: Hermann a synové.
  • ARATUD, Antonin. 1987. Divadlo Antonina Artauda, díl 1., Praha: Kulturní dům hlavního města Prahy.
  • TRABITSCH, Thomas a BUHRS, Michael a KLOCKER, Hubert (eds.) 2015. ExistenzFest. Hermann Nitsch und das Theater. Stuttgart: Hatje Cantz Verlag.
Teaching methods
Lectures
Assessment methods
An oral final exam is required for successful completion of the course. The lecturer will give learners a choice of 10 topics at the end of the semester. They will be tested on their chosen topic during the oral examination. Knowledge of a heading at the level of the knowledge presented in the lectures is equivalent to a grade of A. The examination is mainly about testing contextual knowledge, i.e. concepts (in this case performativity) are important, and practical examples of its application.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12hod/sem.
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fpf/summer2025/UBKKDBK054