Lamentations of Cain : dramaturgy of a performance process

Abstract

This publication documents the four-year creative process that led to the first Icarus Performance Project entitled Lamentations of Cain – A Vocal Structure (2005). The process evolved in three phases. The First Phase, ‘The Roots of Performing (2001-2003)’, culminated two years of apprenticeship in the performer’s craft and was marked by the presentation of the solo structures Amargo – The Tragedy of the Man Doomed to Die and ICARUS 4. The Second Phase, ‘Performative – Improvisational – Structural (2003- 2004)’, was characterised by the presentation of two research branches: whilst Tekhne Sessions explored the fluid space between technique and performance structures, the performance branch evolved by means of the presentations of TWO (a duo), TWO.2 (a trio), and Amargo TWO (a choral work). The Third Phase, ‘Dramaturgy of Action’ (2004-2005), brought the first Icarus Performance Project to a climax with the presentation of Lamentations of Cain – A Vocal Structure. The main thrust of this phase was to bring together, by means of a tightly knit dramaturgy, the various performance skills, scores, and material explored in the project. The current book not only documents the Third Phase of the first Icarus Performance Project but is itself an integral part of the creative process. The compilation and composition of this book indeed marks the final crystallisation stage of the research process into the dramaturgy of Lamentations of Cain. The documentary scope of this book is enhanced in the context of the first two Icarus publications: ICARUS 4 (2003) and The Second Phase (2004). In documenting the final phase of the first Icarus Performance Project, this book necessarily adopts a holistic view of the process as it evolved from 2001 to 2005. The overlapping of material in the chapters is as desirable in doing justice to the evolving nature of the process as much as it is inevitable. In a sense, the title of this publication, Dramaturgy of a Performance Process, is indicative of the book’s identity and status. This book is a ‘dramaturgy’ in its own right: it is not only about the dramaturgy of a performance but also a dramaturgy of the process of a performance.