Interruption

Definition

Interruption refers to a sudden break in the flow of a performance or narrative, designed to disrupt the audience's immersion and provoke critical thinking. This technique is often used to challenge traditional storytelling and encourage viewers to question the content and form of the performance, which aligns with the principles of the Alienation Effect.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Interruption serves as a means to create distance between the audience and the characters, prompting them to engage more critically with the themes presented.
2. By using interruption, a performer can highlight social or political issues in a way that forces the audience to reconsider their perspectives.
3. This technique can manifest in various forms, including sudden changes in dialogue, visual distractions, or unexpected actions by characters.
4. Interruption challenges the traditional linear narrative structure by introducing pauses or breaks that disrupt expectations.
5. It encourages active participation from the audience, who are required to process and reflect on the meaning behind these interruptions rather than passively consume the performance.

Review Questions

• How does interruption function as a tool for promoting critical engagement among audiences?
  • Interruption serves to break the illusion of reality in a performance, prompting audiences to actively engage with what they are watching. By disrupting narrative flow, performers encourage viewers to think critically about the themes and messages being conveyed. This technique pushes audiences beyond passive viewing, making them aware of their own responses and thoughts regarding the performance.
• In what ways does interruption relate to the concept of the Alienation Effect in theatre?
  • Interruption is a key component of the Alienation Effect, which aims to prevent audiences from becoming overly emotionally involved with characters or plotlines. By introducing breaks or sudden shifts in action, performers encourage spectators to maintain a critical distance. This relationship emphasizes a reflective rather than an empathetic response, aligning with the goals of Brechtian theatre to foster social awareness and critique.
• Evaluate how interruption can alter audience perception and understanding of a theatrical work.
  • Interruption fundamentally alters audience perception by challenging conventional expectations of narrative coherence and emotional engagement. When interruptions occur, viewers must reassess their understanding of character motivations and thematic elements. This active reevaluation can lead to deeper insights about societal issues reflected in the work, as audiences grapple with both content and form in a more analytical manner.

Related terms

Alienation Effect:

A theatrical technique that seeks to distance the audience emotionally from the play's action, making them more analytical and critical of the content.

Breaking the Fourth Wall: A theatrical device where characters acknowledge the audience directly, disrupting the illusion of reality within the performance.

Metatheatre: A form of theatre that self-consciously comments on its own nature as theatre, often blurring the line between reality and representation.