ABSTRACT
In 2010, Eugenio Barba published a seminal book: On Directing and Dramaturgy. It is a retrospective manifestation of a lifelong occupation with theatre. This book is a rare and important example of a contemporary reflective theory on art and dramaturgy, and as such, a vital work to observe and analyse. My aim is to show how Eugenio Barba constructs his poietics based on comprehensive investigations of his own and the group’s work, and how he locates dramaturgy as central tool. Applying the presented theory of dramaturgy, I demonstrate how Barba constructs his three levels of dramaturgy as three selections of utterance, of information, and as an offer of a special way of understanding. A poietics is a description of values concerning art and its functions. Dramaturgy is the recursive process connecting values and poiesis as programmes for devising, rehearsing, and training, and aisthesis as programmes for the positioning of spectators. Poietics also contain pointers to diachronic and synchronic traditions, clearly marking what it seeks to avoid, and what it sees itself as prolonging. (Barba, Eugenio (2010) On Directing and Dramaturgy. Burning the House. London/New York: Routledge.)
