Res Humanitariae

The article aims to discuss and compare several widely acclaimed solo performances created based on the principles of documentary theatre, when actors courageously and openly reflect upon and represent authentic experiences, problems, conflicts and childhood traumas. In these performances, the actor and the character merge into one, becoming identical segments. Self-reflection on stage often approaches the form of a public confession, art therapy, or the psychodrama method. Artistic fiction becomes a secondary, auxiliary element, serving only as an aesthetic tool or a stimulus to convey various situations from the protagonist’s life more emotionally and from different perspectives. Within the structure of a self-reflective solo performance, the actor becomes the instrument, the creation, the playwright of their own life story, and the performer at the same time. Self-reflection through theatrical expression (authentic narrative, verbal expression, body language, music, photographs, video recordings, or other auxiliary means) can serve as a vital tool for surfacing, and at times resolving, psychological issues. The act of public confession and the element of authenticity not only trigger high levels of stress and the risk of rejection or condemnation, but also activate a powerful mechanism of recognition and identification among the audience. The traditional mimetic concept of acting transforms into a concept of public confession and self-reflective documentality. The popularity of solo performances testifies that organic self-reflective acting, interspersed with elements of theatre therapy and psychodrama, meets the expectations of both the actor and the viewer.