"A Long Season of Altitude". Intersections between Theatre and Photography

Abstract

If we think about the best known formats of theatre books, we can quickly identify two types: on the one hand, books of dramatic literature; on the other, books of theatre history and/or theory. In recent years, however, an important set of theatre publications aim to expand both formats in at least two directions. First, publications that gather traces of staging experiences and unpublished texts. The book is, this way, transformed into an archive that, in turn, evidences the fundamental role of reconstruction within theatre history. Second, publications that, on the basis of a theatrical performance, produce another artifact: in this case, not an archive of what was produced (text or staging), but a device that enables multiple forms of writing and diverse uses of images. Thus, the book expands the range of action of the original performances and inscribes itself in a larger artistic project. It is the case of Yo tenía un alma buena (fragmentos de un discurso mutilado) [I Used to Have a Good Soul (Fragments of a Mutilated Discourse)] by Maricel Álvarez, published by Fundación Osde in 2015. I propose to study this case by focusing on the particular relations between theatre and photography and, based on this, to reflect upon an intermedial activity in line with contemporary practices and theatre studies that expand and renew the field.