CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Theatre is a collaborative art form which combines words, voice, movement and visual elements to express meaning. The field of theatre encompasses not only live improvised and scripted work, but also dramatic forms such as film, television and other electronic media. Due to the increasingly pervasive influence of contemporary theatrical media, theatre has enormous importance in citizens’ lives. It is not possible for students to achieve media literacy without understanding and having hands-on experience with theatre. Theatre is about the examination and resolution of fundamental human issues, and is built on understanding and presenting interactions between people.
The number of academic studies on Michael Jackson has increased in recent years, no doubt coinciding with both an awareness of his impact on the music industry, music history and society, and the growing interest he represented for cultural studies. However, many of the studies concerning him have focused much less on his artistic contributions than on the so-called anxiety-provoking fluidity of his artistic image (Dalmazzo 2009, 2010; Scott 2012), his startext (Raphael 2012) or his ability to blur all the codes simultaneously (Fast 2010, 2012). Michael Jackson engages essentially the fields of “race” (Zulu ed. 2010; Brackett 2012; Woodward 2014), gender (Scott 2012), sex (Fuchs 1995), “strangeness” (Fast 2012; Jefferson 2006), even in a musical (Roberts 2011; Malela 2012; Gondwe 2013; Petitjean 2019) or choreographic (Takiguchi 2014) context. His songs and his musical short films have been dissected through orientalist (Faust 2012), nationalist (Rossiter 2012), post-essentialist or post-constructivist interpretations (Fuss 1989; Awkward 1995) and previous reviews of his work (Zulu ed. 2010; Hawkins & Fast eds. 2012) have largely subscribed to these melanic and musico-colorist prisms. Admittedly, his sound and visual work evolved in a context where genre and pigmentation have always been connected, however, Michael Jackson never ceased to fight to avoid being locked into a monochrome marketing niche. And to do so, he never stopped echoing and deploying a pool of pluralist references, interacting with the fragmentation and rotation of genres within the mainstream (Mercer 1994: 95), playing with, rather than breaking categories (Brackett 2012), and proposing an eminently multidisciplinary, combinatory and federative art.
However, Chris Brown is a popular American singer, songwriter and an actor well defined by hisunique smooth voice, incredible dance moves and above all, he is a charming person. His talent was discovered when he was only thirteen years old by Tina Davis. With the help of Davis as his manager, Chris released his first album at the age of sixteen. He became a child star. The album resulted in two Grammy Award nominations and many more awards followed thereafter(Saddleback, 15)
Statement of the Problem
There has been a feverishly debating whether Chris Brown is a better artist than Michael Jackson, and a comparable singer, and a comparable entertainer overall. What’s got fans of both artists tripping over this comparison is the dichotomy between (a) “singer” as specific assessment of a particular talent and (b) “entertainer” as a broad assessment of a singer’s style, athleticism, narrative, general impact, and penchant for spectacle. Thus this study seeks to assess the theatre Artist and his Art Comparism of Michael Jackson and Chris Brown.
Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research is to investigate on the Theatre Artist And His Art Comparism on Of Michael Jackson And Chris Brown.
The study has the following specific objectives of the study;
- To critical examine Michael Jackson’s Theatrical Style of music
- To analyze the level of performance in Chris Brown musical career
- To compare and contrast the personality of Michael Jackson and Chris Brown on stage
Research Questions
- What are the theatrical style and performance of Michael Jackson’s pattern of music?
- To what extend is the level of performance in Chris Brown musical career?
- Are there any similarity in the personality of Michael Jackson and Chris Brown on stage?
Scope of the Study
This work is on Theatre Artist And His Art Comparism oOf Michael Jackson And Chris Brown. The study were limited to the two artists because of some similarities in their performance.
Significance of the study
The significance of a study of this magnitude cannot be overemphasized. Analyst, entertainment industry, artists, would find this study really useful especially as they utilize the findings of the study.
The study will equally add to the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter. Students undergoing research work similar to the present study who may wish to use this work as a reference material or a spring board for their own work will find this work really useful.
Limitations of the Study
Financial Constraints: The researcher was with limited funds and cannot visit all the areas to get responses from respondents but was able to get good information concerning the research topic.
Time Constraints: The researcher was involved in other departmental activities like seminars, attendance of lectures et.c which limited the time for the research but the researcher was able to meet up with the time assigned for the completion of the research work.
Methodology
This research is both analytical and argumentative in nature. It will adopt various qualitative research methods in order to provide the required information. Research materials such as textbooks, articles, internet, magazines, journals. Hence, this research is library based.
