Maya van den Heuvel-Arad

Focalizing Bodies

Visual Narratology in the Post-Dramatic Theatre

Through an inter-medial reading, linking film and literary theory, Maya van den Heuvel-Arad explores the potential of the post-dramatic performer in its corporeal presence to operate as a focalizer. Departing from the concept of focalization in literary narratology and transforming this concept into a visual device, the author introduces the notion of the body as a visual narrator and focalizer. With this she establishes an important tool to grasp the relationship between the performing body and the spectator’s perception in post-dramatic theatre. With “Focalizing Bodies” the author provides a vocabulary to explore the potential of visual narratology, both in theory and in practice, of post-dramatic theatre.

Maya van den Heuvel-Arad’s work is a significant contribution to the theory of post-dramatic theatre. “Focalizing Bodies” is a masterful achievement that may easily be used as a workable matrix for further analysis. It bears all the marks of an outstanding accomplishment.”(Prof. Gad Kaynar, Officer of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, Chair – Theatre Arts Department at Tel Aviv University).

Maya van den Heuvel-Arad holds an M.A. in Dramaturgy from the University of Amsterdam where she graduated cum laude. She is currently working as a dramaturge, among others, for Ilay den Boer's award winning series of performances "Het Beloofde Feest". Her play "The Diamond Stars" won the first prize of the international playwriting competition of ITI - UNESCO in 2010. “

Focalizing Bodies is nominated for the Theatre Thesis Prize 2010 by the Theatre Institute Netherlands.