esmaeel shafiee

Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov and Stella Adler, as three different and successive generations of believers in believable acting, ask the actors in their courses to first analyse the play, extract the personality traits of the character from the text of the play and then perform other performance. During the last century, many actors and acting teachers have tried to put this idea into practice in order to increase the quality of the actors’ performancs. Also, based on this idea, courses such as Characterology and Personality Psychology have been added to the actors’ training courses. Also, books and pamphlets have been published about them, and practicing this field has become one of the most important tasks of actors and other people active in theater. On the other hand, psychologists have categorised people in groups, which are called “personality types”, to facilitate the identification of individuals. To identify the personality and personality type of individuals, there are defined principles and rules according to which it is necessary to collect a wide range of information about the individual. Otherwise, it is impossible to determine the personality and personality type of a person. About a century has passed since the publication of this idea by Stanislavsky, and more than half a century has passed since the expression of this doctrine by Michael Chekhov and Stella Adler, and the world of science renews its propositions every day. It was necessary to examine the this idea and the possibility of putting it into practice from the contemporary psychology point of view. Therefore, the authors of this article have chosen the views and opinions of Karen Horney, Carl Gustav Jung, Gurdjeef and other commentators and developers of Enneagram as the theoretical framework of this descriptive-analytical research. This article was written using library sources and reputable scientific websites to achieve the purpose of this research. The achievements of this research, which are presented in “general” and “partial” parts, show that the fore mentioned theory is not applicable. Also the application of any “special personality” to any of the characters of the plays published so far has no scientific aspect and if a personality type is declared, it is the result of people’s imaginations, rather than the result of the play.

Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, discussed tragedy in poetics but he did not care the “Gods”. While historical studies show that the “Gods” play an important role in tragedy. In this study we try to determine the causes of ignoring the “Gods” in tragedy with Aristotle. The method is descriptive-analytical and library resources have been used. In this study we first examine some of the Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides’s tragedies and examine Aristotle’s vision in this regard. The main question of this study is: what are the causes of ignoring the role of “Gods” in tragedy with Aristotle? The result of this study that can be used by researchers of philosophy and theatre show that the causes of ignoring the role of the gods in the event of tragedy by Aristotle are: realistic, logical and rational view of world phenomena, maintaining religious and moral principles and as well as belief in man as a creature of intellection and choice

The French phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, by emphasizing the priority of sensory perception, seeks to find and describe the subject’s relationship to the world in which he exists. For him, perception is related to the object, place, events, world in which we live and despite Our bodies emerge. According to him, perception is a secret in the depths and angles of the body, which, by appearing in every body, creates faces that are the basis of any human experience and understanding. The purpose of this study is to explain the sensory perception in the formation of Marina Abramovich’s performances from the perspective of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and to answer the question of what role sensory perception plays in the formation of her performances. One of the most important achievements of this research is that Abramovich developed the concept of sensory perception by using her body, place and time creatively, and subsequently formed her artistic performances by changing the level of consciousness. This research is a descriptive-analytical method and library resources and valid Internet databases have been used to collect data.

Undoubtedly, attractiveness is the most important factor in an artwork. Since the “attractiveness” and “beauty” are of vague border and most of the philosophers deem that the attractiveness is the consequence of beauty, and as a result, we may say that the existence of each of the two factors is impossible without other one. Costumes in theater is one of the most important factors in performance, and always accompanies the actor, and on this basis, we may say that one of the important factors of creation of an attractive dramatic artwork (beautiful artwork) is wearing attractive (beautiful) costumes in that artwork, which may finally result in creation of a very attractive (beautiful) dramatic work. In an article entitled “Diseases of costume theatre” Roland Barthes who is an Aesthetician on costume and costume Design, has enumerated a few principles and rules (requirements) which might be considered as components for more attractiveness (more beautiful) design of costumes in a dramatic artwork. Method of capturing and gathering data and information in this research is a descriptive-analytical method, and the information is gathered out of the library references, reliablewebpages and field research. The question brought forward in this research is “how much the Barthes opinion would be effective in beautification and attractiveness of theater costumes ?” As we face with insufficient scientific and applied references and resources in this field, the importance of this research shall assist the costume designers and stage directors in finding the principles and standards for designing more attractive and beautiful costumes. In consideration of the investigations conducted about effectiveness of Barthes opinion about the costumes of two dramas of Ali Rafiei as case study, the most important achievement of this research is that the principles and rules intended by the Barthes about beauty and attractiveness of theatre costumes has been effective in practice, and may result in designing more attractive and beautiful costumes, and consequently, the performance of drama shall be more attractive.

Art has repeatedly portrayed “ugliness” in different eras, and a clear example of this can be found in the tragedies attributed to Achilles, Sophocles and Euripides, which belong to the Attica period and belong to the fifth century BC in Greece Observed. The “ugly” themes in the story of tragedies have been the subject of controversy among philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Although Plato considered the play “ugliness” in tragedy to have no value or credibility, Aristotle seems to have considered it as one of the factors shaping tragedy and having moral value. The contrast between the views of these two thinkers on tragedy is the subject of discussion in this study. The purpose of this study is to explain the role of “ugliness” in selected Attica tragedies in Greece from the perspective of Plato and Aristotle. In this study, the important tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides have been studied. Importance of this research (which can be the result of the conclusion of this research) is to create a different understanding of the concept of “ugliness” and its constructive function in art and tragedy as opposed to the view that the display of “ugliness” in art is necessarily destructive and immoral Knows. Therefore, the constructive and moral function of “ugliness” in tragedy can be used as a model for creating dramatic works. The main question of this research is: What role does “ugliness” play in Greek tragedies from the perspective of Plato and Aristotle? The method used in this research is descriptive-analytical and library resources and valid Internet sites have been used to collect information. One of the most important achievements of this research is the constructive role of “ugliness” as a necessary and vital thing in the formation of Greek tragedy and the creation of moral concepts in human life.

Włodzimierz Staniewski is a reputable director of the recent years with a style of his own, and also the founder and artistic director of the Polish Gardzienice Theater Company, whose performances such as "An Evening Performance" 1977, "Sorcery" 1978, "The Life of Archpriest Avvakum" 1981, "Carmina Burana" 1990, "Metamorphoses" 1997, "Elektra" 2002, "Iphigenia at A…" 2007, "Iphigenia in Tauris" 2010, and "Pythian Oratorio" 2013 have captured the attention of many artists and researchers in the field of performing arts from all across the world. According to many theoreticians and researchers in the field of theater such as Paul Allen, the significance of Staniewski's creations is most of all latent in the movements of the actors and the forms of motion in these creations. Identifying the components, resources, roots, and origins that form the movements of the actors in the Gardzienice theater company, as well as the quality of the arrangement of these motions for theatrical performance and their accomplishment in connecting with the audience throughout the performance process can add to the knowledge of actors, directors and artistic motion designers and result in the production of higher quality performances for those that strive to base the creations of Staniewski as a model for their artistic creations. According to the research conducted in well-known national libraries and internet citation databases, there are not any documented books, theses or articles regarding the subject of the present article. However, a number of books, articles, theses, and interviews are available which have considered and investigated other dimensions of the Gardzienice Theater such as Staniewski's opinions and comments, the interactions between members of the Gardzienice group, the history of the formation and development of Gardzienice Theater, the relationship between Staniewski's Theater and Grotowski's Paratheater, Staniewski's biography, etc., all of which have been used as previous literature for the present article. The present article has attempted to present suitable, sufficient, and referable answers to the question that: From where does Gardzienice Theater provide the raw material for its movements and what elements does it use as raw material? Along with this main question, other secondary questions are also answered that each beneficially contribute to increasing the knowledge of those who read this article. The method used in this study is of the descriptive-analytical type and the required data were collected from library references and valid internet databases. The most important achievements of this research consist of the Greek "Cheironomia" and "Gesticulate", the Indian "Samaweda", the behavior of Mexican "Tarahumara" Indians, and the body language of Polish gypsies as part of the origins for the creation of movement in Staniewski's theater. However, these resources are not utilized separately and in an unprocessed state, and the execution team of Staniewski's theater dedicates most of its rehearsal time to forming and developing the motions of its performances while improvisation and native, national and international music assist the Gardzienice group.

Marina Abramovic, a Yugoslav artist in the field of conceptual art, has been creating works of “art” since the early 1970s. By focusing on her body as the subject and mainstream of her art, she has taken a different approach to the audience in her performances. In his phenomenology of perception, Maurice Merleau Ponty also discusses the “other” in the context of a “body” experience. He has been a philosopher of phenomenology and existentialism of the twentieth century and considers modern art to be the emerging world that has created a different perspective for the artist and audience. The purpose of this research is to explain the concept of the audience with the phenomenological approach of Maurice Merleoponti, based on the concepts of “ Embodyment “ and “Other” in Marina Abramovic’s performances, titled “Zero Rhythm” and “Artist Present”. Data collection was done through library resources, videos, and reputable internet sites. This research answers the question of what does the audience mean in Marina Abramovic’s performances? The importance of this research is to create a different understanding of the concept of audiences by artists who try to position themselves in the audience instead of preparing content for the audience to change their “level of awareness”. This further enriches the meaning and deepens the viewer-performer relationship. One of the most important findings of this study is that according to Maurice Merleoponti’s definitions of the “other” of the audience becomes a tool for audience action through the interplay of art and artist, and this is a factor of meaning and awareness for the artist himself.

Tragedies are often associated with the death of the hero or other unpleasant ends. The evolution of the earliest examples of ancient Greek tragedy to Shakespeare ̓s great tragedies and the modern tragedy ̓s of today, clarify the importance of death in the tragedy. So if we want to consider the nature of death and being in Shakespeare ̓s tragedies, one of the best options possible, is to looking at this issue through the prism of Martin Heidegger’s ontological philosophy. Heidegger make his way to the being of an existence through death. In this paper, based on library resources and analytical methods, the issue of death in every four of Shakespeare tragedies (Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear) was evaluated based on the ideas of Heidegger about death and being. This study will include an overview and four distinct part of analyze and a conclusion. In the analysis of the tragedies, we find out that among the heroes of Shakespeare ̓s tragedies, King Lear is the only title with existential death who experience the original being and death. Hamlet, who is the most suitable case to have an originary being, because of one possibility that he can understand himself following it, cannot experience an existential Death, and live authentically. Othello considering how he is drowned into the Other ̓s (Dasman) will, cannot even try to be an authentic existence. Macbeth being as a Dasein, is different from Othello, because Macbeth eventually understand how deep he sank into the Others ocean of dictatorship.

The word “Illusion” in most English dictionaries such as Webster, Oxford, Collins, Longman and also Heritage is being defined as: wrong appearance or deceptive perception of reality, false or illusory understanding of reality. In Encyclopaedia Britannica this word means “false perception, incorrect idea, misrepresentation of a real sensory stimulus, delusion, deceptive image.” By joining this word with the word “Environment” “Illusionistic Environments" is created, referring to a space with a deceptive appearance that can create a false impression of what is really there in the audience. This tradition has continued from ancient Greece and is created in different ways. Thanks to modern technologies, the western contemporary theater scenography has created digital spaces called "soft décors." These spaces can create illusionistic environments and provide new performance possibilities for directors and actors along with "hard décors." Illusionistic environment provides opportunities beyond conventions, symbols and signs through which theater artists try to create a mental picture of reality for the audience using "mental process of spectator". In this environment, the created space can create a deceptive image of reality on its own without the use of mental faculties of spectators. The main objective of this article is to examine the role of digital spaces in creating illusionistic environments in the Western contemporary theater scenography and examine the new performance possibilities achieved in the field of acting and directing. For this purpose, the following questions are considered as the main research questions: A) What is the role of digital spaces in Western contemporary theater scenography in creating illusionistic environments? B) What new performance possibilities in the field of acting and directing at the scene can be provided by digital technology for creating illusionistic environments? After reviewing the databases related to the field of theater, the scientific and valid articles inside and outside of Iran, treatises registered in the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology, and other databases related to the field of theater, it was observed that some studies solely introduced digital technology and machinism in the theater, and there is no independent article or book with the same goal of the present study. In the process of this research, in addition to explaining the research basics, examinations of the role of digital images, telematics technology and real (not virtual) actor's body as the main elements of illusionistic environments and, on the other hand, the works of recent outstanding scenographers, including "Josef Svoboda" (1920- 2002), "Paul Sermon" (1966- ) and "Marcel·lí Antúnez Roca" (1959-) with the aim of achieving their scenography ratio by creating illusionistic environments are further explored. Using the analytical-descriptive method referring to library resources and images, results indicate that digital technologies not only cause interaction and sharing of space inside and outside of the scene for acting and directing, but also they herald the advent of a new medium that may be able to achieve whatever the theater lacks and the cinema cannot achieve.

“Video Projection”, as a technological phenomenon, is comprised of two words: “video” and “projection”. According to the Oxford Dictionary, video is “a system for recording audio and moving visual images on video tapes or other data storage hardware” and is etymologically derived from the Latin word “videre” (to see). In the same dictionary, “projection” is defined as “the act of presenting an image of something on a surface”. Arnold Aronson (1911 1998), an American scenographer and professor at Columbia University, views theater as an art with two main wings: time and space. Accordingly, with the help of the available special visual tools and equipment, the contemporary theater director and scenographer tries to create the time and space required for the play. The theoretical framework of the present study was based on the viewpoints and ideas of Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001), the British historian. This study was mainly aimed at explaining the role of video projection in creating physical, psychological and narrative times in the scenography of contemporary Western theater. The article also tries to reach its goal using the analytical-descriptive method referring to library resources and images. In this article, the research overview was presented in the introduction and five sections were assigned to investigate five areas including: Gombrich’s views on illusion, time, and image; the concept of time and its essence from the perspective of Western thinkers; time in drama; about video art; time and video projection. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between video projection and the transformation of the past and future into the present. They also confirmed Gombrich’s theory about the past and future being illusions and proved that it was possible to transform the past and future into the present through images. In addition, the results indicated that creation of physical, psychological, and narrative times depended on the practice time, the performance method, and the visual techniques, respectively.

Sacred Theatre, a concept derived from the study of religions, which is charged by Peter Brook, has doubts that the audience can not find features and a clear definition of it. Since the western rational culture has less interest to explore the intuitive concepts of Brook's article, it can be claimed that the intuitive and wisdom culture of the East intuitive is a convenient reference for this study. On the other hand Antonin Artaud's theories influenced by eastern culture can also play the same role. This article that is base on descriptive-analytic method, studies The Sacred, Eastern philosophy and Antonin Artaud's theories to find the common quality between them and the sacred theatre to answer the doubts. Sacred theater is theatre for human expressing his invisible facts to make the invisible visible that can be done in two ways: 1- Remove the five senses and replace mental faculties of audience 2- Defamiliarize the familiar affairs

Wlodzimierz Staniewski is one of the best-known theatre directors of three recent decades. From 1976, as the founder and artistic director of the Gardzienice theatre group, he gained various achievements in the procedure of production and performing of theatre. During more than 35 years of working, these achievements have been source of influence for many experimental groups and theorists of the theatre world. Many critics and theorists of the theatre world believe that one of the main causes of unique achievements in Gardzienice theatre was rooted in the theoretical foundations used by Staniewski, which were the base of production of Gardzienice performances. Understanding the above-mentioned fundamentals can contribute in two dimensions; first it can explain the reasons of the attraction and influence of Staniewski’s work, and secondly it can help theatre groups that are attempting to perform based on this method, yet don’t have sufficient theoretical sources. The authors believe that studying the procedure of production and performing of theatre by Gardzienice leads to observation of the ideas and opinions of Micheal Bakhtin. Therefore the present research tries to study the procedure of production and performing of theatre by Gardzienice deep enough in order to clarify the role of Bakhtin ideas and opinions. The main focus of the present study is on the first work period of Gardzienice Company, which is from the foundation of the company until “Metamorphosis” performance of the group. All the resources used in the study are related to the same work period. The research is descriptive-analytical and uses library Sources, and the main results include: explaining the direct relation between primary ideas of expedition/gathering in Staniewski theatre and the “Carnival theory” of Bakhtin, explaining the roots and influences of expedition/gathering in Staniewski theatre by using Bakhtin theories about "dialogism", "philosophy of the act" and "otherness"; and finding the bases of Staniewski theatre practices utilizing Bakhtin theories about “dialogism”, “philosophy of the act” and “otherness”. According to the results of the present research, some activities of the Gardzienice Theater Company are directly influenced by Bakhtin ideas, and other activities can be explained based on Bakhtin theories and ideas. The main results of the present article can be categorized as followed: ●The initial ideas of expedition/gathering are directly influenced by Bakhtin’s ideas regarding “Carnival”. ● The roots of expedition/gathering can be found in Bakhtin theories of “dialogism” and “philosophy of act”. ●In addition to what mentioned above, Gardzienice special theater practices can be explained by “dialogism”, “philosophy of act”, and “otherness”. In rare cases, Staniewski referred to Bakhtin’s theories and ideas in his writings or sayings – for instance he mentioned the relation between “carnival theory” and the gatherings’ structures. Yet, beyond these direct inconspicuous documents, authors believe that Bakhtin’s phenomenological system can explain Gardzienice activities in a very solid way -activities such as passionate performances, expeditions to marginal cultures and gatherings as natural meetings. The above results help groups and individuals that are interested in Staniewski works to understand the theoretical bases of Gardzienice works, rather than mere imitation of its form.

Some scholars including Richard Paul، Linda Elder and Ted Bartell are of the belief that the roots of «critical thinking» can be traced back to the teachings of Secretes، where he places great emphasis on the «clarity» and «logical consistency» in thinking. These scholars consider Socrates'' method of questioning to be the most famous strategy in «critical thinking»، the main required skills of which are cognitive skills including interpretation، analysis، evaluation، inference، explanation and self-regulation. Some of the sub-skills of these main skills include: categorization، clarifying meaning، examining ideas، identifying and analyzing arguments، assessing claims and arguments، querying evidence، drawing conclusions، stating results، presenting arguments and self-examination. There is also a dispositional dimension to critical thinking. The affective dispositions of critical thinking include two approaches: first، approaches to life and living in general، and second، approaches to specific issues، questions or problems. On the other hand، throughout years، countless studies have been conducted on the importance of puppetry in the field of children education. Inclusion of puppetry in classrooms has always had its staunch advocates. However، this does not have to be limited to puppet shows which only serve recreational purposes. These days numerous scholars stress the importance of including some educational material (either in the core curriculum of schools or as extracurricular activities) to develop critical thinking skills in children. Christopher Winch in «Education، Autonomy، and Critical Thinking» considers «the development of autonomy as an educational aim» and «the nature of application of the skill of thinking critically» to be two central topics in liberal philosophy of education. Therefore، it seems quite advisable to make good use of the most effective methods to teach children critical thinking skills to guarantee a better future for them. Schools are supposed to equip children with the knowledge and skills they need to be open-minded individuals able to think well and employ sound reasoning. One of the most effective methods to attain this goal is making effective use of puppet theatre for educational purposes. The purpose of this article is to examine which characters among Iranian puppet theatre characters can contribute to the acquisition and development of critical thinking skills in children. In order to do so، different characters are examined regarding their qualities to realize which character or characters possess qualities which characterize a good critical thinker. In the first part of the article a brief history of critical thinking -as the theoretical framework of the article- is presented and both cognitive skills and affective dispositions are introduced. This part is followed by a brief history of puppet theatre in Iran and an introduction of Iranian puppet theatre characters. Most scholars in the field of Iranian puppet theatre unanimously agree that Kheimeh shab bazi has been the most significant form of puppet theatre in Iran. However، unfortunately، the written texts of all plays in this form are not available. This is a qualitative research for which library sources and reliable internet sites have been utilized.

The light in modern concept has accompanied by theater as one of the formative elements of showing art from the first days of theater emergence and todays various functions have been defined for that and it has been and is being used for different purpose. On the other hand, the light is always with shadow on the scene and lack of light causes to darkness on the scene. So, the light, shadow, and darkness can be known as an elements common domain and the ratios and their functions would be examined. Position of light, shadow, darkness, and their functions has a major milestone in history of theater and that milestone is thoughtful and theoretician presence of Adolf Appia on arena of theater. Before Appia's time, showing groups, regardless of shadow and darkness only considered the light to light up the scene to see the exciting elements on the scene including actor, decoration, and accessoire. But, with presence of Appia, the shadow, darkness, and light became three ingredients of showing art and each of them found different position and function. Appia strongly focused on the light element on scene and considered its counterparts, that is, shadow and darkness as two separate elements. He believed that it should be absorbed all of the visual elements of scene by light in one”‌total unity”, consequently, the light together with actor create vertical decoration and horizontal floor of existing elements on theater scene as possible as highest unity; i.e., “perfect unity”. In point of view Appia, the light together with shadow and darkness cause to painting the scene, and in addition, these three elements with each other lead to be three- dimensional scene. He believes that the light which is important in the theater shapes the shadow; otherwise, this light only defines and shows and has not any value. In point of view Appia, the light, shadow, and darkness have several important functions that they are as bellows: The light will create and provide the state and space, It will induce the emotion to viewer, It will appear the basis of place and time dimension and the variation of them, It will create the visual unity and solidarity of different and sporadic elements on scene, The shadow and darkness will present the fundamental and/or important shape, They extract the space from hollow being state, They will visual verification the shape, They will return the emotion to induced state of scene. The aim of this article is to examine and compare the two historical sections before and after Adolph Appia on theater scene in point of view application and the nature of light, shadow, and darkness in the arena, and also to examine and explain Appia’s opinions about functions of light, shadow, and darkness in theater, that it is lead to create new attitudes in this arena. Research methodology used in this article is analytic – descriptive and it has used library technique in it.