1. Study the Performer?! … to inquire into Creativity in education, in environmental matters, business management, culture… ?! What for?! John J Schranz

2. What is it, that the EMA-PS programme is proposing?

3. Is it proposing to teach performance techniques, be they in theatre, or in sport? The answer is a categoric “No”. The key lies in the origin of the word “perform”

4. The word “perform”, written as we know it, dates back to the 13 th century. A single writing error changed it. From “parfourNir” (to give – furnish – completely), it became “parfourMir” – via a mistaken link with “form”. As a result, its real meaning – i.e. to g ive oneself completely – became hidden and then… it was lost.

5. The EMA-PS programme is not proposing that Creativity & Innovation are prerogatives of performers, whether in theatre or sport

6. What EMA-PS is saying is: There are some very special and unique factors which make the Performer a unique locus for studying crucial questions:

7. 1. We all know the stress of being closely observed while working. Performers in Theatre and Sport have it all the time – and yet : they manage to creatively thrill their observers! WHAT STRATEGIES DO THEY USE?! 2. What contexts encourage Creativity ? AND WHAT CONTEXTS INHIBIT IT?! 3. If it is true that the faculty of being Creative is unique to Humans, WHAT IS IT TO BE HUMAN? then WHAT IS IT TO BE HUMAN?

8. Is it possible to work around those questions so as to find answers that could push us forward?

9. What fields of inquiry may help us… what disciplines?

10. EMA-PS’s proposals stem from one particularly important consideration on any kind of performance

11. The very essence of performance is for others to see to behold to witness to intuit

12. What one wants, from ANY performative event, be it theatre, sport, dance, music, singing… is to SEE, to WITNESS, the other – AS S/HE IS ENGAGED IN THE ACT OF DOING

13. It’s NOT a question of seeing what the other HAS DONE. What one wants is to see the other DOING. Moreover, what one hopes for most, then, is that the performer, in doing, WILL BE CREATIVE. The true desire, really, is to witness creativity occur.

14. And this has to do with an intuition – an intuition one is rarely aware of, however : In the act of performance, there is no studied and talented handling of a MEDIUM

15. Performer is, at one and the same time, “artist” “medium” “artistic act” “creative event” “objet d’art”

16. In beholding the Performer, what one is seeing, witnessing, is the studied and highly organised handling of the Self

17. In performance, what one goes to see is : a manifestation of the Self – striving in a manner that is organised, organic, knowing, reflective, structured, disciplined, and technical to fulfill the Human Being’s Creative Potential

18. … not only for fulfilment on the individual level, however, but also for fulfilment on the COLLECTIVE level

19. … a desire for the transcending of confrontation

20. … a manifestation of a desire to arrive… somehow… at creative and aesthetic human encounters with others – propelled, however, not so much by those in the encounter but, rather, by a totality that emerges from them… a totality that, at the same time, contains them contains them.

21. It is the desire, also, to arrive at a new awareness of what might be the genesis and the true nature of Creativity … a new awareness … far removed from the uncanny, disturbing, awe-inspiring, ground-shaking, estranging, competitive, dominance-oriented aspects which, all too often, it is associated with in “Western” culture.

22. Seen in this light, it resonates with Poincarè’s insight of over 60 years ago, anticipating Cybernetics by 30 or 40 years : the infinitely small, infinitely constant, infinitely infinite continuity of process and flux.

23. The MSPC course programme, conscious of the times we are living in and of the urgent need the times we are living in and of the urgent need for a true science of performative creativity, for a true science of performative creativity, is seeking others ready to go into the inquiry together with it. is seeking others ready to go into the inquiry together with it. Inquiring into this, demands : the analytic rigour of the sciencesthe analytic rigour of the sciences the reflective rigour of philosophythe reflective rigour of philosophy the humility of ethologythe humility of ethology the breadth of vision of cultural studiesthe breadth of vision of cultural studies the dynamism of complexity studiesthe dynamism of complexity studies the shrewdness of managementthe shrewdness of management … and the praxis of disciplines of performance… and the praxis of disciplines of performance