| Summary: | 碩士 === 佛光大學 === 藝術學研究所 === 99 === Abstract :
The main focus of this thesis is U Theatre’s pursuit of combining the spirit of Dao and art in its training of performers. This practice and its connection to the performers are the main concerns of the research. Based on the training programs, productions, and the organizations of the group between 1996 and 2011, the thesis aims to map out the influential factors which played a role in the development of this practice.
The research materials include the author’s own involvement in U Theatre’s training programs, as well as relevant essays, monographs, and other media coverage. The author has also conducted in-depth interviews with former trainers, members of U Theatre and other specialists who have been following the artistic development of the group over long periods of time. With these materials and her fourteen-year-long experience as U Theatre’s performer, the author further explore the connections among the idea of “Dao and art as one”, U Theatre, and its performers, observing U Theatre’s founder Liu,Ruo-yu and Music Director Huang,Chih-Chun’s understanding and practice of the idea.
Despite the author’s admiration for U Theatre’s efforts in reshaping the traditional form of drumming and martial arts, there’s been an ongoing transformation of this pursuit. The emphasis on meditation in its training has transformed a performer inside-out, granting traditional arts a new look, beyond the conventional idea of art. However, the core of the training has changed from the Dao-oriented method, where trainees observe their own transformation through learning of skills, to a technique-centered training method, similar to mass-production of professional performers. This process demonstrates the transformation of the “Dao and art as one” value, which indirectly shows the inadequate understanding of this philosophy on the part of the artists.
U Theatre’s management strategy has led to the commercialization of the idea of “Dao and art as one”, contributing to the deviation from this core pursuit of the group in its artistic training. The thesis suggest that the practitioners should return to the reflective philosophy of “Dao and art as one”, and to put its emphasis back to the performers, that is, “human” itself, achieving self-realization through mirroring the performers’ inner self with art.
With its first-hand observations, in-depth interviews and literature, the thesis aims to offer other like-minded performers and researchers a record of the practice of “Dao and art as one”, with the hope that other colleagues will continue the exploration of the possibilities of the practice of the philosophy in today’s commercialized society.
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