Face perception and synchrony disruption in theatre masks

Abstract

This paper examines some of the psychological and perceptual foundations that underpin the use of theatre masks, proposing that part of their power stems from two intertwined evolutionary adaptations: face processing architecture in the brain and our natural tendency toward social synchrony.

We focus on two specific types of theatre masks used by theatre pedagogue Jacques Lecoq (1921–1999): larval masks and half-masks. Using these as examples, we argue that theatre masks leverage our finely-tuned sensitivity to faces by seamlessly engaging the neural networks responsible for rapid face detection and emotional inference. Furthermore, the masks interfere with our ability for social synchronisation, which encourage performers to broaden their range of embodied expression. This has the potential to significantly boost the ‘performative toolkit’ of actors-in-training. For the audience, the masks disrupt synchrony by obscuring facial details and creating cognitive ambiguities, complicating the audience's interpretative process and thereby enhancing engagement and the aesthetic experience.