The problem of the ground
Martin Heidegger and site-specific performance
pp. 65-86
in: Laura Cull, Alice Lagaay (eds), Encounters in performance philosophy, Berlin, Springer, 2014Abstract
Theatre and philosophy share the problem of the ground. For the theatre, the ground is an existential problem: theatre must take place somewhere. As a consequence, the theatre takes over existing ground and installs itself there, or else it creates its own grounds, laying the foundation for specifically designed theatrical spaces. The question of where theatre takes place has been a highly charged matter.1 Greek tragedy originated in religious sites, around the altars to the God Dionysus. Japanese Kabuki theatre, by contrast, originated in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto, a place of disrepute. In London, the Globe Theatre, along with most other theatres, was forced to take residence outside the City of London on the South Side of the Thames.
