Den hellige iscenesettelse: En teatervitenskapelig undersøkelse av opplevd metafysikk i gudstjenesten (masteroppgave i teatervitenskap)

Oppsummering, på engelsk av Schipper:

In this thesis I discuss and analyze the potential of experienced metaphysics in the religious service of Den Norske Kirke, DNK. The aim is to further develop a framework and method for performance analysis, the purpose of which is to analyze the experience of divinity in DNK. By doing so, I want to show how theater science can give a new understanding to the study of religion and religious experiences. Both which according to theatre scholar Kim Skjoldager-Nielsen are still not understood or researched enough. The goal of this thesis is therefore to contribute with insight and analytical framework for the fields of theatre and religion. By looking at the complex interplay of material properties of staging, the aesthetic of experienced metaphysics, and cognitive capacities of experience and faith.

The result of my analysis and observations over the last couple of years is that the relation between the church and theatre is more complex and intertwined than I first imagined. I will therefore examine this relationship further and see how the relationship between theatre and Christianity has been developed to present time. The cultural and historical understanding of the church service as a dramaturgical and aesthetic strategy provides a foundation for my analysis.

In my main analysis, I will examine how two religious services in Bergen and Gjerdrum are staged to give the participants an experience of transcendence, i.e., God. My analytical approach is a combination of theories from religious studies, philosophy and theater science developed by Kim Skjoldager-Nielsen, combined with Willmar Sauters model of theatrical communication and Dorthe Jørgensens philosophical term “experienced metaphysic.” I will also use theological insight from Bishop Kari Veiteberg.

Lastly, I will map the relation between “liturgical aesthetics” and “aesthetical liturgy”, and exam their dramaturgical potential. This way, I hope to get closer to the core of the worship practice and see how its expression can awaken a feeling of transcendence. My thesis will conclude with the presentation of a practical model for the analysis of experiences of transcendence at DNK.  

• Sander Jensen Schipper (person)
• Kim Skjoldager (person)