for a theatrical genetics: assumptions and challenges

Abstract

Is it possible to apply to theatre the genetic method, known and used in the field of literature? A theatrical work is a heterogeneous set of textual and scenic data, an ephemeral and fleeting entity, because every staging – but also every presentation – necessarily produces new modifications: text cuts; variations in body movements; different voice timbres; lighting; the pace of the event, etc. In these conditions, how is it possible to retrace the genesis of the work, among objects of several kinds and with multiple finishes?