Warwick 1a

KEYWORD: Ephemerality

Ephemerality in it’s simplest definition means to be short lived. The momentary human action which inspires an epiphany of thought. The performative “blink” which transcends beyond the stage and into the lives of those who bared witness.

These ephemeral acts create a reverberation in the actions people take in response. The human mind absorbs the new thoughts and a “wave” is created in the way people adjust their lives to the visceral feelings created by the ephemeral. An example of this would be the audience reaction following Festac Drama Group 77’s production of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi in which the audience left the ephemeral act in the theatre and spilled into the streets dancing in front of the Norfolk Hotel in response to what they had just witnessed.

Acts of repetition in performance, as in the case of ritual, routine or classical Asian performance traditions is an attempt to negotiate the ephemeral nature of life. It serves as a counter point to the idea that performed acts cannot be reproduced.

Super Bowl as a site of ephemeral acts of performance.

an example of a performance that is different each time it is staged.

Traditional Chinese Opera- where myths and other stories are repeated to preserve cultural memories

These ladies didn't produce a reverberating ephemeral effect.