UBUmaterial: building a performative archive on Instagram

ABSTRACT

This document records and reflects on the process of building an innovative format, a performative archive on Instagram, the UBUmaterial, by Papalangki theatre company (Greece). It exhibits the occasion of its emergence, discusses the process of its development and presents the tools used and the materials produced as part of it. Furthermore, it gives information on its impact and considers its afterlife. UBUmaterial unfolds as a performative archive that occupies not a physical stage but a ‘cyberstage’ (Instagram) and is dedicated to the exhibition of Papalangki’s attempt to rehearse Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi at home, as a result of the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, traditional rehearsal techniques and theatre approaches were not adopted, since it appeared necessary for all dramatic elements of the original play (language, character, plot) as well as the acting style to be adjusted to the new digital environment. Extensive use of digital tools and Instagram features enabled a rich output of video production. The album-like format of Instagram allowed for the creation of a virtual modelbook (in Brechtian terms), where videos from rehearsals were posted in a non-linear order. The archive will remain accessible forever and hopefully form a basis for new excursions.

KEYWORDS:

• Instagram
• performative archive
• ubu
• theatre
• internet
• instaperformance

Acknowledgements

Directors: Tasos Angelopoulos and Yannis Didaskalou; Performers: Dimitris Kapetanios, Dimitris Lolis, Liana Taousiani; Dramaturg: Panayiota Konstantinakou; Digital Media Dramaturg: Christina Papagiannouli; Scenic and costume coordination: Matina Megla; Graphics and subtitles: Christos Tsavlidis; Original play translation: Zoe Samara. The production is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tasos Angelopoulos

Dr Tasos Angelopoulos is Teaching Fellow at the School of Drama, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He holds a PhD in Theatre Studies (School of Drama, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece). His other studies include: Theatre (BA and Integrated Master), Sociology (MA) and Law (BA). He also holds a Professional Diploma in Puppetry (National Academy for Film and Theatre Arts ‘Krastyo Saravof’, Sofia, Bulgaria). He works as theatre director and coordinator of the PAPALANGKI Theatre Company (www.papalangki.gr) and he has written three books on Theatre History (The National Theatre of Thessaloniki during the Occupation) and Applied Theatre (Playing Theatre & Playing Theatre with History), several articles and volume’s chapters, and he has participated in several theatre conferences worldwide.

Panayiota Konstantinakou

Dr Panayiota Konstantinakou is Teaching Fellow at the School of Drama, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She holds a PhD and an Integrated MA in Theatre Studies from the same university; a Diploma (UKC, UK); an MPhil (Research) (University of Glasgow, UK) as well as an MA in ICT in Education (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece). She has worked extensively as a theatre educator and as a Dramaturg. As a dramaturg, she has collaborated for a number of over 35 productions with independent theatre companies in Greece (including Papalangki), as well as with the Greek Festival, the Greek National Theatre, the Onassis Cultural Centre, the Regional Municipal Theatre of Serres, the Regional Municipal Theatre of Kozani, the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun and the Youthi Festival. She specialises in classical drama, literary adaptations, site-specific performance, documentary theatre, devised theatre, as well as youth theatre. She has presented papers in conferences in Greece and abroad and has published articles in journals and conference proceedings on dramaturgy, theatre education, history and theory of scenography and the aesthetics and ideology of space.

Christina Papagiannouli

Dr Christina Papagiannouli is Research Fellow in Performance and Interactive & Immersive Technology at the University of South Wales, where she also lectures performance and new media. She holds a practice-based PhD in theatre and digital performance and an MA in theatre directing from the University of East London, an Integrated Master in theatre studies from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a diploma in drama from the University of Kent. Her research interests focus on the political character of cyberformance, on adapting theatre for the internet and on the use of interactive and immersive technologies in theatre and performance. She has published widely in the field of online theatre/cyberformance and has presented her work at a range of international events and conferences. Her monograph Political Cyberformance: The Etheatre Project was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2016. She is co-convener of IFTR's Intermediality in Theatre and Performance working group.