Abstract

This thesis is a practice-led artistic research with accompanying critical self-reflection on a performative protest. Numbers Increase As We Count..., is based around a simple task: counting, 1, 2, 3, and so on during the entire length of the performance... This counting refers to the estimated number of victims of sex trafficking as a direct result of the invasion of Iraq: an endless performance if we were to continue the counting until we reach the actual numbers. But this is exactly the message: every second that passes brings more women into trafficking. The piece is about imperialism, war, destruction, about the way it affects women. Numbers Increase As We Count... was presented in many different incarnations during the last four years in Montreal, in Denmark, in Brazil, as well as in talk-performances in Italy, Vancouver, Ireland and the USA. The ever-evolving performance and the ongoing self-reflection on the creative and socio-political implications offer a dialectical process and set the stage for the emergence of the notion of “Performative Acting” as a mode of authentic engagement with the materials and the theatrical experience. Beyond its essential and timely theme, Numbers Increase As We Count... also tested this method of Performative Acting, offering some insights for future artistically engaged performances.