The Art of Unperformance: Annie Baker's Stage Directions and the Paradox of Scripted Authenticity 公开
Lian, Noah (Spring 2025)
Abstract
This thesis examines Annie Baker’s innovative use of stage directions as a vehicle for creating theatrical naturalism that blurs the boundary between performance and authentic human behavior. Through close analysis of her published plays, this research investigates how Baker’s meticulously crafted implicit and explicit stage directions paradoxically generate what I term “unperformance” in actors, in which they appear to exist authentically rather than as part of a performance. Baker’s stage directions, often hyper-specific in detailing silences, physical movements, and verbal patterns, provide a framework that fosters realism rather than restricting it. Her stage directions compel actors to unperform through the embedment of natural speech patterns such as stutters and interruptions. This thesis demonstrates that these highly detailed directions do not constrain actors but instead liberate them, offering a structure that allows for deeply authentic, emotionally resonant performances. Beyond textual analysis, this study incorporates personal performance experience and interviews with student actors to explore the practical effects of Baker’s stage directions in rehearsal and performance. By reflecting on the process of embodying characters under Baker’s framework, this research highlights how her stage directions shape actors’ physicality, timing, and psychological engagement with their roles. The findings suggest that Baker’s approach represents a significant contribution to contemporary theater: redefining naturalism by embracing the hesitant, awkward rhythms of human interaction and the silences that speak volumes.
Table of Contents
Foreword and Methodology
Becoming Schultz: How Baker’s Stage Directions Transformed My Understanding of Theater
Introduction: The Paradox of Scripted Authenticity
Stage Directions and Their Role in Play Scripts
The Rise of Naturalism
Unperformance on the Stage
Explicit Stage Directions in Baker’s Scripts
Silences and Pauses
Choreographing the Mundane: Movement
Interruption
Implicit Stage Directions: The Unwritten Rules
Typography as a Performance Guide: Capitalization and Punctuation
Spacing
Natural Speech Inserts
Italics
The Actor’s Experience: Liberty through Constraint
Improvisation: The Freedom in Specificity
Interpretation: Rehearsal as Discovery
Embodying Rather Than Portraying
Case Studies: Emory Performs
Conclusion
Bibliography
About this Honors Thesis
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