The determinants of the actor as a social identity today and their reflections on the role

The actor is one of the principal elements of the theatre and besides, he is also the most controversial one. The relationship between the actor and the acting is discussed in detail in contemporary studies. The actor's controversial "I"dentity's influence on acting which is sometimes on a character or only on a performance that is equal to the "act", has determinations all but the theatre and the aesthetics. This PhD thesis titled "The Determinants of the Actor as a Social Identity Today and Their Reflections on the Role" aims examining the actor through the "identity" that has become an important point of view nowadays. Hence, the actor and identity relationship is brought together in the field of "social identity". The determinants of social identity; the keys of value, status and "role", the positioning or the orientation of the actor within the society are also analysed in this study. From the prehistory to the present; three main identity features: 'socially responsible', 'sacred' or 'marginal', are used as titles for the actor. In this study, which also analyses the conceptions of identity throughout the historical periods, the period from prehistoric to 1800s is considered as the period of given identities. During these periods, it is tried to be shown that the actor's social identity is assigned to him/her and that mostly there is no chance of transformation voluntarily. The period from 1800 to the 1980s is considered as constructed identities. Based on the idea that identities are constructed within the framework of a given mission or aim, how acting theories, practises or studies construct an actor identity is analysed. Following the substructure prepared by this period, the present day that is considered as the period of invented identities, features that are inherited to the identity of the actor and with the determinants of a new social establishment, the way the actor's social identity is shaped is exhibited and its reflections on the role/performance are deeply analysed.