Wataru Mukai - Composition

Documentary Theatre as Action

Approaching the interdisciplinary artistic practice of queer identities

I am researching the interdisciplinary artistic practice of documentary theatre, and my artistic work will address the theme of queer identities. In my documentary theatre I will therefore address elements of gay culture, including drag, and the theme of gender/sexuality.

My research questions are: In what ways and by what means can queer identity be negotiated on the contemporary (music) theatre stage? How can music be actively involved in documentary theatre? What role does music play in documentary theatre and how is it interwoven with other levels? This study will examine the often-neglected role of music in documentary theatre and take up the documentary also in music in the artistic work.

I am developing documentary theatre from a sociological approach. Therefore, my research will involve fieldwork and documentation in gay communities in cities with different cultural backgrounds, such as Vienna, Amsterdam and Tokyo. From the collected material, a documentary theatre on queer issues will be compiled and I will relate my artistic-research work to works from other disciplines such as music, theatre, art (studies) and gender studies.

The result of my interdisciplinary theatre research/practice is to imagine social reality in fiction on stage.

First supervisor: Univ. Prof. Dr. Carolin Stahrenberg, ABPU
Second supervisor: Dr. Leopold Dick, Bern University of Applied Science/Academy of the Arts