Reading the Human Figure (FINA20041)

The figure is one of the elements available to be manipulated by the designer in the development of a design for performance. An audience reads (either consciously or unconsciously) that figure through its relationship to its environment, and how it presents itself to the viewer. The human figure is in some ways the only element in a design that is non-negotiable in terms of its size, however it can be transformed through the use of costume, scale, placement of the figure in space and even how it is lit. This subject examines how this manipulation can be used as a dramaturgical tool in the creation of a performance and  students will be introduced to ways the figure has been transformed in performances from ancient Greek theatre to contemporary performance and how those transformations have been read by their audiences.