'www.theatertheorie.net' is an Internet platform which provides a direct link between concepts and terms from the theory of theatre on the one hand and practical theatre performance on the other.
Based on a series of contributions at the Gessnerallee theatre in which theoreticians Hans-Thies Lehmann, Stefan Hulfeld and Erika Fischer-Lichte responded to scenes put together by Barbara Weber, Lukas Bangerter/Plasma, and Christoph Frick/Klara, a dialogue was initiated between theoretical positions and elements of scenes as staged. This is visualised and depicted in a multilayered structure. 'www.theatertheorie.net' provides a hypermedia knowledge network with lines of argument which allow users to navigate between theory and practice and back again.
This makes it possible to interact and interrupt the chronological face-to-face communication associated with the seminar paper and introduce a more individual structure. The usual medium of theoretical discourse, namely writing, is rejected. Communication of content is at the level of language, images and sound; it is no longer exclusively based on the symbolism of writing but also recalls the performative qualities of language and images. This approach opens up an unusual, theatrical way of accessing theory: based on orality and physicality combined with the actual space on the stage where articulation takes place.
The web platform for innovative storage, representation and communication of expertise in the theory of theatre – in terms of its relevance to aesthetic practice – can be used in different ways for teaching purposes: to present individual content during traditional face-to-face tuition, as an electronic teaching aid for self-study based on learning objectives set by the lecturer, or embedded in a blended learning setting along with individual and verifiable learnings steps defined in detail by the lecturer.
'www.theatertheorie.net' has been developed with the potential for expansion of its content by means of other theoretical approaches, or for use in other subject areas.