In this analysis I will attempt to point out the similarities between theatre and rituals, and link my findings to our performance. I will also bring attention to the symbology that we decided to use and why it was important. The ritual that Alicia, Candy and I chose to portray was the burial of a time capsule.
"The word ritual comes from the Sanskrit rta, which refers to both 'art' and 'order'." (R Heinze pg 1), and it is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as 'a prescribed order of preforming rites' (Oxford Dictionary pg1329).
Many rituals express religious ideas, notions, and emotions intended to influence the supernatural, for example, with the simple act of saying a prayer before you go to bed, you are attempting to influence a power or force that is greater than yourself. When praying you are getting yourself into a state of relaxation, by kneeling and putting your hands together you are also in a state of worship, acknowledging that there is a higher power than yourself, and asking for forgiveness, guidance etc.
Parthenon from west
English: Hindu ritual in Varanasi
Associated University PressesAnd yet by doing this you are still preforming, if you had an audience they would know exactly what you were doing.
As I mentioned in my introduction, the ritual we decided to portray was the burial of a time capsule. We played the McGregor triplets, Candy, Tim and Alicia. Candy, being the one who organised this event, also becomes the 'celebrant'. Alicia and I, the participants, were instructed to bring something that we felt was symbolic of our bond, things that were brought were, a photo album containing photos of us when we were younger, a newspaper containing an article about our birth, and a poem that we wrote together about our cat Muffin when we were younger. We were also instructed...