School of Performing Arts

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    Theatre, african cultural heritage recovery and tourism
    (2017-09-28) Asiama, E.K.
    Cultural heritage is an aspect of study that falls under the broad definition of culture itself. Heritage constitutes the core elements that a people have embarked in their culture which is distinctively unique. The study of the cultural heritage of a given people is crucial for the understanding of identity, values, beliefs, political, anthropological and socio cultural foundations of a people and what they uphold as the basis and essence of their livelihood. Theatre (Drama) is the representation of a people’s way of life, and a form of communication that reflects the everyday lifestyle and essence of life from stage to an audience. In fact, it is the impersonation of life itself, enhanced through body extensions such as costumes, make up, dialogue and sound to tell a story. An exploration into how theatre could be applied to the enhancement of a people’s cultural heritage. How theatre could be used to recover almost the extinct cultural practices and how it could be used as a mechanism to boost the economy has not been fully explored. This paper will therefore focus on how theatre could be applied in the recovery and promotion of a people’s cultural Heritage, and also to enhance community-based tourism.
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    The metaphysical and the imaginative: Asare’s play The Choice in performance.
    (2017-11-10) Dorgbadzi, S.; Ekumah, E.
    The manifestation of the metaphysical in artistic expressions is as old as the relationship between art and religion; drama and its theatre is no exception. In the works of most Ghanaian playwrights and dramatists, one identifies a transition from a cultural/folk lore and history into contemporary plays. This evolution becomes the vehicle for the artists’ creative process and it usually gives the work a grounding in the Ghanaian culture; the artist’s thought is then communicated in context. In an interview in 1994 in his office at the Ghana National Theatre, Yaw Asare, a Ghanaian playwright confirms that his works are inspired by Ghanaian folktales and other folk genres. In Asare’s play, The Choice, the said transition comes across in the form of the history and folklore of the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo in the Volta Region of Ghana. These genres are replete with metaphysical and supernatural characters and philosophical thoughts which he recreates in The Choice in the form of supernatural characters and more. This paper discusses the transposition of the metaphysical in The Choice, from text to the performance of the play at the E. T. Sutherland Drama Studio
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    To call it tragedy or not to call it tragedy: the cultural politics involved
    (2017-10-26) Deh, T.H.
    Tragedy as a form has always been professed with Eurocentric worldview. Juxtaposing this uniqueness directly with an Afro-centric understanding to reflect the form is challenging. Tragedy has evolved over the years, from the classical heroic model to the modern; tragedy of the common man. In order to have a blueprint closest to the tragic genre, many playwrights infuse certain indigenous elements into their plays just to make them look similar or run parallel to the original form. In seeking to connect traditional culture to performance, major tragic playwrights in Ghana and Nigeria have utilized traditional indigenous religious rites, myths and rituals as material for structure and form. It is often whispered however that 'Africans often laugh at tragedy’. Although the myth surrounding this conjecture is yet to be unraveled, the questions remain as: Do Africans and for that matter Ghanaians have their own form of tragedy and can this form be suitably called tragedy or would a different name be applied? Do we as Ghanaians have our own kind if occurrences, disasters and catastrophes that attract more empathy and purge their emotions other than the Aristotelian form? These questions keep lingering in my mind. I hope to interpret these complexities and the cultural politics involved in these creative workings.
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    Psychodrama Therapy - Counselling for the Performing Artiste
    (2017-11-19) Hopeson, D.; Dorgbadzi, S.
    The founder of Psycho drama, J.L.Moreno used enactment, creativity, spontaneity, sociometry, group dynamics, role theory, and social systems analysis to facilitate constructive change in individuals and groups so that new perceptions and cognitive patterns can develop through better understanding of their roles in life, the ways they interact with others, and things that may be creating challenges or restricting change in their lives. Terms like catharsis, soliloquy, role reversal and mirroring used are relevant to theatrical persons and they can readily understand the approach than an ordinary person. Performers are noted amongst others to ease emotional burdens of others but often, they tend to be under serious emotional strain themselves because of the stressful conditions under which they work. Performing artistes need the services of a counselor. Using psychodrama therapy can help cast and crew deal with their own emotional needs for a better and healthy life. To Moreno, the world is a stage and the Director/ Producer is God. We all enter on this stage at birth and depart at death. As we enter the world, emotional needs are inevitable. Knowing who to go to in order to handle and deal with our emotional strain can make life more meaningful, healthy and enjoyable.
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    Theatre of Intentionality: Theorizing the Place of Dramatic Intentionality in the Theatre Arts
    (2017-10-05) Ojoniyi, O.W.
    From studies on the workings of the human consciousness, based on psychoanalytical, phenomenological and existential analyses, conclusions have been drawn that consciousness is always consciousness of something. The argument is simply that consciousness is not just a dormant awareness of ideas or phenomena; it is always directed/prompted at taking action(s) or counter action(s). The prompt for actions or counter actions in consciousness is what Sartre identified as the intentionality of consciousness. In actual fact, Sartre argues that consciousness is intentionality. Appropriating this position, therefore, I have continued to argue that every dramatic art is an act of consciousness, meaning that, every dramatic art is based on certain intentionality of the artist, either as a playwright, play director, actor/actress, light/sound technician, make-up, costumer or theatre critic. There is always an intentionality, the consciousness prompt, behind our actions as theatre practitioners. Consequently, this paper lays bare the theoretical framework christened ‘dialectical text consciousness’ for the argument that every dramatic art is essentially an act that is based on certain intentionality of consciousness. And, it is on the strength of the argument of the paper, an argument which actually developed from my PhD thesis, that I have proposed what is called a “Theatre of Intentionality” in the title of the paper.
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    Dance research and the issue of representation
    (2017-09-07) Kuwor, S.K.; Newman, S.A.
    Dance research involves investigating analysing and interpreting a phenomenon. During the process of dance investigation, researchers apply their various techniques to gather information they intend to share with the rest of the world. Significantly, whatever image of the phenomenon researchers carry is unquestionably a representation. This paper employs multidisciplinary approach to apply Stuart Hall’s concept of representation to dance research within an African context. The paper draws on both primary and secondary sources to re-open debate on complexities involved in applying Western concept to African Arts.
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    A study of amateur groups’ re-interpretation of traditional dances in Ghana: Role on continuity and safeguarding
    (2017-09-14) Awuah, E.B.; Kuwor, S.K.
    Neo-traditional dancing has come a long way since it claimed the spotlight in the 1960s. Right from then, the influence of the proscenium stage and its effects on traditional dance structures and performance has contributed immensely to dance development in Ghana. The Ghana Dance Ensemble as the pioneer of dance experimentation and modern development provided inspiration to other smaller dance groups to continue in that direction. The amateur group’s reinterpretations of the Ghana Dance Ensemble’s choreographies have continued to alter the paradigms of neo-traditional dance concepts and performances for some time now. Largely situated in the capital city of Ghana, Accra, they have become a dominant force in the area of neo-traditional dancing so much that their involvement cannot be overlooked. In this presentation, I concentrate on two (2) amateur groups and their internal politics of power that influences their creativity and performances of neo-traditional dances within the context of appropriation and globalization. By exposition, I will examine how and why the amateur dance category effect changes in dances they have learnt from the traditional settings, the Ghana Dance Ensemble, among the amateur groups themselves, and from outside Ghana with regards to the adaptations to new situations. This will be analyzed through a comparative analysis of the Bawa dance to be able to shed light on the findings. The purpose of this presentation is not to assume the sole responsibility of influencing any changes in the dances as has been done over the years without due regard to concepts of cultural dynamism but rather to become conscious of them.
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    Dancing Resilience: Towards sustainable tourism in rural fragile communities of Ghana
    (2017-09-28) Mohammed, F.; Darko, J.D.
    Tourism, as a multi-purpose driver for community development in the sector of socio-cultural and economic sustenance is yielding wide interest globally. This is relative to how resources are utilized, managed and promoted through heritage interpretation. In this paper, heritage interpretation refers to the full range of activities deduced from collective knowledge systems intended to increase public awareness and enhance understanding of tourism landscape (International Council on Monuments and Sites [ICOMOS] Charter 2008). The relevance of heritage interpretation can offer meaningful tourism experience, reduce the increasing global stress and the vicissitudes of tourism complexities and as well stimulate innovation. All these are viable when opportunities, through continued negotiations of diverse models including “socio-ecological resilience” are tested; because they intersect between ecological sensitive, socially accepted and economically feasible and rewarding locations (McCool 2013, Butler 2013, Buckley 2013, Weaver 2015 and Wheeler, 2013) by compressing the spatial scale to a local case study whilst expanding the temporal scale. It is against this backdrop that this paper further seeks to discuss and explore the inherent opportunities in the Tallensi dance tradition, to show how it contributes to the understanding sustainable interpretation through intangible cultural activities.