Temporary scenography for momentary collective delirium

Abstract

Performance festivals have become a global phenomenon. The cultural and social implications of festivals significantly influence people’s lives through generating emotional attachment by their scenography and through their symbolic connotations above that of entertainment platforms. Stage designs, considered as a branch emanating from temporary architecture, evolved over the centuries, with changing demands and technological innovations, from a performance space to a social arena that represents the collective identity of the organisers, performers and attendees, who gather, engage in relationships and in the most successful and memorable occasions, experience the performance in a form of temporary collective delirium. This study is divided in two sections, focusing on large-scale performance festivals. In the first section, the author adopts a theoretical perspective in determining the principle pillars that define performance festivals, in terms of their ability to establish emotional engagement in society through dynamism and the relationship between performers and attendees generated by stage designs. Furthermore, a historical approach examines the development of stage design based on the evolving expectations, particularly by examining specific events during the primitive Egyptian, classical Greek and Roman, Early Medieval, Elaborate Renaissance and popular periods. Further exploration assess the redefinition of stage designs as tools for marketing, reputation and symbolic representation of particular identities. The second section discusses the culture and practice behind contemporary festivals by exploring the reason behind the creation of elaborate scenography in animating modern festivals, and the way they are designed through the adaptation of design principles to deliver exhilarating experiences to their attendees. The author assesses their potential to transform individual emotions into a collective state of delirium through data gathered from interviews and by critically reviewing two internationally renowned festivals. A concluding discussion provides information on the evolution of festivals, and recommendations in designing successful performance stages.