ABSTRACT
Anthropologists do not scrutinize artistic approaches as critically as anthropological methods because many consider them a way out of methodological impasses, but if they want to learn from artistic practices, they must look at the problematic aspects some of them encompass. Directors and acting teachers are in a powerful position that they can easily abuse—it is no accident that the ‘Me Too’ campaign had its starting point in show business. In chapter 7, the author considers the questionable proceedings of the famous French director Ariane Mnouchkine when she participated in a theatre experiment in Oxford in 2015. Scholars often defend directors’ despotic approaches on behalf of their artistic aims, but this chapter is an analysis of the damage caused by such practices. The chapter is dedicated to the actor Peter G. Dirmeier, who disposes of a skill that anthropologists might also need in an environment characterised by competition and harsh working conditions. Academics might learn from him that the only way to resist external pressure and not be caught by the dynamics of competition is to create niches where solidarity and generosity can blossom.
