Theater & Double Consciousness

Do actors experience splits in consciousness while performing? Can such splits be deliberately controlled for working on different roles? And what would this mean for the much-debated question in acting theories about whether actors should feel the emotions of their characters or not? In the 19th century, altered states of consciousness became an important research topic. Particularly in France, it was understood that human consciousness could split into different parts. Methods of hypnosis and suggestion, as well as states of somnambulism and trance, became central to psychological research to gain insights into the "hidden spheres" of the self. These discoveries were also taken up by theater theorists. They used this knowledge to better understand and further develop the abilities of actors to transform and portray different characters. This funded publication investigates how theater theorists around 1900 adopted new psychological insights into splits in consciousness and incorporated them into their theories. The focus is on four key theater thinkers of this period: Constant Coquelin, William Archer, Max Martersteig, and Edward Gordon Craig. By examining their writings from 1880 to 1910, the study shows how the traditional understanding of identity and identification in acting changed through the inclusion of theories of consciousness. This study offers a new perspective on the development of acting theory at the beginning of the 20th century and demonstrates how much the engagement with art was influenced by scientific theories.

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