Theatrical Activity as an Instrument of Cultural Representation

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyse theatrical activity as an instrument of cultural representation in the context of contemporary humanitarian approaches and Ukrainian sociocultural experience. The methodology. Performative analysis, culturological hermeneutics, and digital analytics were used to study theatrical activity as an instrument of representation. The scientific novelty lies in conceptualising theatrical activity as a complex instrument of cultural representation that combines corporeality, spatial organisation, collective interaction, and digital practices. The article clarifies the specifics of the theatre’s functioning in the context of war and post-traumatic experience, where representation becomes not only an artistic form but also a therapeutic mechanism and a channel for transmitting collective memory. Conclusions. The theatre is an effective instrument of cultural representation as it combines corporeality, space, and collective interaction. Contemporary forms of theatre ‒ documentary, post-traumatic, digital ‒ expand the possibilities of representation but, at the same time, pose new ethical challenges. The Ukrainian theatre after 2014 functions as a mediator of cultural memory, representing the society’s traumatic experiences and shaping new narratives of national identity. Further research may combine performative analysis with ethnographic and digital methods to comprehensively study the representational strategies of the theatre.