ABSTRACT

This article explores Vicky Foster’s Bathwater in its three formats of stage production, radio play, and book as an example of ethical autobiographical performance. Foster’s narrative is concerned with her experiences of an abusive domestic relationship and her efforts to care of her child. The material is characterised by a dual perspective in which the autobiographer-performer and an actor embodying the author’s son speak to the audience. The analysis makes use of discourses on liveness in performance studies, Susan Bennett’s understanding of the body as an archive of experiences in autobiographical performance, and Deirdre Heddon’s research into ethical performance practices. It highlights the respective merits of the three media formats chosen by Foster: the physical co-presence of the autobiographer-performer with a theatre audience, the sole focus on voice and sound on the radio, and the relative durability and reach of printed books. The conclusion argues that the three versions of Vicky Foster’s Bathwater balance the demands of truthfulness and artfulness towards autobiographical performance utilising the specific communicative set-up of each media format.

摘要

这篇文章探讨了 Vicky Foster 的沐浴水在其舞台制作、广播剧和书籍三种形式中，作为道德自传表演的一个例子。福斯特的叙述与她遭受虐待的家庭关系的经历以及她照顾孩子的努力有关。该材料的特点是双重视角，其中自传作者兼表演者和体现作者儿子的演员向观众讲话。该分析利用了表演研究中关于活力的论述、Susan Bennett 对身体作为自传表演经验档案的理解，以及 Deirdre Heddon 对道德表演实践的研究。它突出了福斯特选择的三种媒体格式的各自优点：自传作者兼表演者与剧院观众的物理共存，唯一关注广播中的声音和声音，以及印刷书籍的相对耐用性和范围。结论认为 Vicky Foster 的三个版本Bathwater利用每种媒体格式的特定交流设置，平衡了真实性和艺术性对自传表演的要求。