Ouma : performing the myth of the self

This paper is an explication of my thesis production Ouma, which was presented in December 2008 towards the fulfilment of the degree Masters of Arts in Theatre and Performance (Theatre Making) at the University of Cape Town. The explication focuses largely on what happens when the myth structuring the identity of an individual changes. How does the individual go about re-narrating identity within the context of the new myth? And how might the creation of performance contribute tothe re-narrating? The first section, Myth of the Selfexamines the concept of 'myth' and 'the Self and how they intersect and influence each other. I demonstrate how myths and the Self intersect and how, through the telling of stories, we create understanding or meaning. The second section, Myth of the Old; Myth of the New, considers the myth of the old South Africa, the myth of the new South Africa, and the different strategies of self-narration that occur in the one and in the other. The third section, Rupture, proposes that there is a powerful impact on individual identities when a political myth is rupture. In conclusion I indicate where the continuation of this investigation may lead.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Drama

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Gröger, Karl Christian

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Fleishman, Mark

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8159

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8159