Direction of silence and affect management: from theatrical pause to the imprinting of reality in solemn events

Abstract

The study aims to substantiate the “direction of silence” as a key mechanism for the affective imprinting of a new status of reality (familial, corporate). Based on a comparative cultural analysis of theatrical-ritual systems, and in terms of phenomenology of perception, anthropology of rites of passage, and neuroaesthetics, the article demonstrates that silence and pauses in solemn events are not merely breaks within an entertainment program. Instead, they serve as means of catharsis and the consolidation of an experienced transition. Drawing on examples from Hasidic dance, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theaters (specifically the categories “ma”, “mie”, “yohaku”), B. Brecht’s epic theater, and theater of the absurd, the article identifies types of pauses as instruments for changing the states of event participants. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the first-time formulation of the concept of “direction of silence” as a distinct type of directorial work with acoustic and emotional space, oriented towards creating conditions for catharsis in formats atypical for classical theater – private and corporate celebrations, ceremonies, rituals, presentations, and other festive and ritual practices. As a result of the study, a typology of pauses as mechanisms for managing participants’ attention and states has been formulated, and the direction of silence and pause has been substantiated as a means of affective imprinting of key moments of an event. This was achieved using material from Hasidic dance, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theaters, B. Brecht’s epic theater, and theater of the absurd.

Research materials

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About this article

Publication history

• Received: March 17, 2026.
• Published: May 19, 2026.

Keywords

• режиссура тишины
• театральная пауза
• аффективное запечатление
• ритуальные и праздничные практики
• direction of silence
• theatrical pause
• affective imprinting
• ritual and celebratory practices

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