Cerchez Diana

Smell, out of all the senses, is said to be the most evocative of emotion. It is no wonder therefore, that odour is ubiquitous in the context of live performances. From the earliest rituals, through the atmospheric use of scent in Shakespeare’s time, and all the way to our present days there has always been an olfactory element to provide a further dimension to the already multisensory events taking place on stage. Despite its extensive application, it was only a few years ago when this phenomenon was coined – very illustratively – “aroma-turgy” by Mark Blankenship. This article is here to guide you through the different practices of scent use in different periods.