Ex-stasis and Acting Methods

Eisenstein and Ignacio de Loyola’s ‘Spiritual Exercises’

Parole chiave: Ėjzenštejn, Loyola, Esercizi spirituali, meditazione, tecniche di recitazione

Abstract

This paper addresses the in-depth study and interest of Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein in Ignacio de Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises, related to the Jesuit practice. It demonstrates that Eisenstein not only calls upon Loyola’s teaching in his theorization of pathos and ecstasy, but that he especially does so also to draw upon specific characteristics of well-known and established Western theatre acting methods. This second reference is mostly unknown to the Anglo-Saxon speaking academic field because of the lack of English translations of the specific essay in which Eisenstein constructs his parallelism between the Jesuit exercises and the work of the Stanislavskian actor. In fact, in the official English edition of Eisenstein’s writings this specific passage, which is present in the Italian publication, was left out because of editorial choices. The paper aims at underlining the importance of Eisenstein’s interests in the Jesuit spiritual traditions in outlining the idea of the practice of acting as an attraction in his theorisation of montage.

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Biografia dell'Autore

Fabiola Camuti, ArtEZ University of the Arts

Fabiola Camuti is Senior Researcher in Art Education as Critical Tactics at ArtEZ University of the Arts (The Netherlands), Research Affiliate with the Amsterdam School of Cultural Analysis (ASCA), and program leader Research in Arts Education (Arts Sector, Dutch Association Universities of Applied Science). She has been researcher and practitioner in different countries and institutions (Italy, France, Denmark, UK, NL) and has worked as Lecturer at the Departments of Theatre Studies (University of Amsterdam) and Media and Culture (Utrecht University). Her research is characterized by transdisciplinary methodology which involves the dialogue between humanities, cognition, and spirituality. She conducts research, leads projects, and gives seminars on topics that include embodied and socially-just pedagogies, participatory arts, performance & politics, politics of arts and cultural education, non-hierarchical learning, arts education in a more-than-human world.

Pubblicato
2023-12-15
Come citare
CamutiF. (2023). Ex-stasis and Acting Methods. SigMa - Rivista Di Letterature Comparate, Teatro E Arti Dello Spettacolo, (7), 241-256. https://doi.org/10.6093/sigma.v0i7.10521