Waipiata: A Practice-Led Exploration of Heterotopic Playwriting

Abstract

This thesis proposes a heterotopic methodology for the dramatic treatment of a site and its histories. This practice-based research comprises a full-length playscript, entitled Waipiata, and an exegesis. In the exegesis I outline the heterotopic dramaturgical model that I developed, placing this in the context of theatrical precedents and other factors that informed the creation of the script. Cited by scholars such as Kevin Hetherington, Joanne Tompkins, and Mike Pearson, the concept of heterotopia is taken from Michel Foucault. I contend that those places described by Erving Goffman as “total institutions” function as heterotopias in Foucault’s sense. My central objective was to author a playscript dealing with the unique history and characteristics of a site in the Maniototo (South Island, New Zealand). This site was a tuberculosis sanatorium (Orangapai 1914-1960), a correctional facility for young men (Waipiata Youth Centre 1961-1980), and currently operates as a Christian retreat (En Hakkore). Waipiata is a historical fiction and it is the first time that these institutions have been afforded a dramatic treatment. Heterotopia was the central concept employed in anchoring the multi-layered narratives suggested by the site and its histories. Heterotopia has previously been employed as a frame through which to read theatrical productions, or geographic sites. I build on this to compose a play that embodies what I term the heterotopic dramaturgical model. Such a model is particularly appropriate when producing theatrical works that deal with sites that are themselves heterotopic. Waipiata conveys the heterotopic and heterochronic characteristics of the site by employing a hybridity of stylistic and design elements. I conclude the thesis with a dramaturgical exposition of my play. Since heterotopic dramaturgy involves the dramatic placement of bodies and spaces, my script is written with scenographic and performative conventions in mind. These are drawn partly from Bertolt Brecht, Caryl Churchill, and Timberlake Wertenbaker. I outline these dramatic, scenographic, and dramaturgical elements so as to sketch a fully rounded portrait of the heterotopic dramaturgy of Waipiata; a model that others may adapt.