Theater 101 essay | Social Science homework help

Schechner talks about “how ancient rituals are” by using the example of paintings and sculptures found in caves in France and Spain that date from 40000-9000 BCE.

The above is a cave painting found in Chauvet. If this is indeed a “repository of group memory,” as Schechner suggests, what does this painting tell you about the lives of the people who lived here?

In two paragraphs, explain these paintings as what Schechner describes as:

• ritual as performance
• an artifact or trace of “communitas”

First, define each of the terms above: “ritual as performance” and “communitas,” quoting from the book. Then, analyze the cave painting as evidence of each of these ideas.

Your essay should be about 300-400 words.