The avatar on stage – producing a modernist utopia of the Übermarionette actor? An attempt to characterize the avatar form

Abstract

The article examines the extent to which Edward Gordon Craig’s historical concept finds its contemporary reflection in theatre, juxtaposing it with various categories of telepresence. The text presents the idea of the Übermarionette, as well as several key directorial practices related to working on a role. It also discusses selected theatrical productions that represent different avatar forms and models of presence. The aim of the article is to investigate to what extent these forms approximate the idea of the super-puppet and which categories of presence are realized by particular avatars designed by directors. As a result of the analysis and in response to the hypothesis formulated in the introduction, a proposal emerges of two distinct types of avatars: those dependent on external stimuli and those governed by internal stimuli. It is demonstrated that these two types are contingent upon the category of presence.