Post Numero Dos: Dramaturgy

So, last weeks tute, and the week before thats lecture was on Dramaturgy (Yeah, I'm writing this one a bit late, but oh well). Essentially dramaturgy is the study of social interactions through the gaze of theatre (I'm not 100% sure gaze is the right word to use, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want). Taking this view all of human interactions are viewed as a 'Grand Play'. Perhaps the best way to sum up the theory is with the classic quote from Shakespears comedy As You Like It:

"All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" (Shakespeare, 1623)

It seems possible to me, if not likely, that this quote may have been the core influence in the production of the theory of Dramaturgy, mostly because it was the first thing I thought of when I heard about the theory.

In line with this theory Goffman proposed three stages in which this 'Grand Play' takes place:

• Front Stage: Which Consists of the Perfermors as well as an Audience.
  Interactions on the front stage are goeverned by social rules which are approrpriate to the 'scene'. Furthermore the performers maintain a 'Personal Front'. This 'Personal Front' consists of the performers appearance as well as the way they carry themselves in front of different audiences. An example of this front stage would be when you are in the presence of new people, or people who you may not be completely comfortable with
• Back Stage: Which Consists of only the Performers
  The lack of audience in backstage scenes allows performers to step out of 'character'. Furthermore the backstage is less controlled by social rules, generally creating a more relaxed scene. An example of the Back stage would be simply hanging out with family or close friends.
• Off Stage: Which consists of...no one...except yourself...I guess you count
  The off stage is purely interpersonal, consisting of self talk and all that fun stuff...I guess there could be other voices though...I mean, you never know...Good point, if your talking to a range of voices in your head, does it still count as Off Stage...or does it become more like Back Stage?

In my head, I link the whole stages thing and the personal front stuff with the idea of 'masks', I can't recall where the idea of masks comes from, but it relates to the need for us as humans to be able to control which aspects of our personality different peope are allowed to witness in order to maintain our lives. These masks are quite often seen in the differences in how we behave at work, with friends and with family.

Shakespeare   (1623).  As You Like It. Act 2, Scene 7