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The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance
This dissertation proffers argument which attempts to suggest that the consideration of both spontaneity and structure is paramount in the creation, rehearsal and performance of clown theatre. In my view, the Whiteface and Auguste clown partnership arguably represents a break in the tradition of cir...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Drama
2016
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| _version_ | 1867613269262336000 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Van Wyk, Klara |
| author2 | Fleishman, Mark |
| author_browse | Fleishman, Mark Van Wyk, Klara |
| author_facet | Fleishman, Mark Van Wyk, Klara |
| author_sort | Van Wyk, Klara |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This dissertation proffers argument which attempts to suggest that the consideration of both spontaneity and structure is paramount in the creation, rehearsal and performance of clown theatre. In my view, the Whiteface and Auguste clown partnership arguably represents a break in the tradition of circus clowns towards a more modern way of understanding and thinking about clowning informed by ideas around spontaneity and structure. The characteristics of their partnership are examined as possibly containing valuable insights around these concepts which may enhance our understanding of clown theatre. The dissertation is divided into three chapters. The first relies on theoretical enquiry informing my ideas around definitions and the history of the Whiteface and Auguste clowns. In the second chapter I discuss rehearsing and training for clown theatre where I engage with the contrasting clown methodologies of two practitioners, Phillipe Gaulier and Ira Seidenstein, whose clown courses I attended and whose notions I use as the framework informing my research. In the third chapter my research methodology relies heavily on practice as research conducted through three different practical projects over the two year research period. Through practical and theoretical research, the study clarifies the predominance of the Auguste clown as a way of understanding modern clowning. It aims to illuminate the way in which clowning is detrimentally emphasised as a purely spontaneous form, avoiding critical examination, and how this understanding of the clown results in an emphasis on spontaneity and games in the teaching and learning of clowning. The study argues for the significance of the Whiteface clown with regards to order, form, rules, preparation and critical enquiry. These findings both in practice and theory have provided clarity and a strong theoretical foundation from which I can attempt to create and perform in clown theatre performances where there is possibly a balance of qualities representing both the Auguste and the Whiteface figures: both structure and spontaneity. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20128 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:26.520Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Department of Drama |
| publisherStr | Department of Drama |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20128 The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance Van Wyk, Klara Fleishman, Mark Drama This dissertation proffers argument which attempts to suggest that the consideration of both spontaneity and structure is paramount in the creation, rehearsal and performance of clown theatre. In my view, the Whiteface and Auguste clown partnership arguably represents a break in the tradition of circus clowns towards a more modern way of understanding and thinking about clowning informed by ideas around spontaneity and structure. The characteristics of their partnership are examined as possibly containing valuable insights around these concepts which may enhance our understanding of clown theatre. The dissertation is divided into three chapters. The first relies on theoretical enquiry informing my ideas around definitions and the history of the Whiteface and Auguste clowns. In the second chapter I discuss rehearsing and training for clown theatre where I engage with the contrasting clown methodologies of two practitioners, Phillipe Gaulier and Ira Seidenstein, whose clown courses I attended and whose notions I use as the framework informing my research. In the third chapter my research methodology relies heavily on practice as research conducted through three different practical projects over the two year research period. Through practical and theoretical research, the study clarifies the predominance of the Auguste clown as a way of understanding modern clowning. It aims to illuminate the way in which clowning is detrimentally emphasised as a purely spontaneous form, avoiding critical examination, and how this understanding of the clown results in an emphasis on spontaneity and games in the teaching and learning of clowning. The study argues for the significance of the Whiteface clown with regards to order, form, rules, preparation and critical enquiry. These findings both in practice and theory have provided clarity and a strong theoretical foundation from which I can attempt to create and perform in clown theatre performances where there is possibly a balance of qualities representing both the Auguste and the Whiteface figures: both structure and spontaneity. 2016-06-24T06:33:30Z 2016-06-24T06:33:30Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20128 eng application/pdf Department of Drama Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Drama Van Wyk, Klara The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| title_full | The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| title_fullStr | The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| title_short | The Whiteface and the Auguste: the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| title_sort | whiteface and the auguste the integration of structure and spontaneity in contemporary clown theatre performance |
| topic | Drama |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20128 |
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