Redefining Theatre Communities

Description

Redefining Theatre Communities explores the interplay between contemporary theatre and communities. It considers the aesthetic, social and cultural aspects of community-conscious theatre-making. While doing so, the volume reflects on recent transformations in structural, textual and theatrical conventions and traditions, and explores the changing modes of production and spectatorship in relation to theatre communities. The essays edited by Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca present an array of emerging perspectives on the politics, ethics, and practices of community representation on the contemporary international theatre landscape. An international, interdisciplinary collection featuring work by theatre scholars, theatre-makers and artistic directors from across Europe and beyond, Redefining Theatre Communities will appeal to those interested in the diverse forms of socially engaged theatre and performance.

Table of Figures                                                                                               

Acknowledgements                                                                                       

Introduction

Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca

PART I: Theatre Communities: Traces, Places and Belonging                          

Communal Solidarity and Amateur Theatre in Post-Revolutionary Russia: Theoretical Approaches – Stefan Aquilina

Theatre in Malta: Which Spaces Does the Community Occupy? – Vicki Ann Cremona and Ruben Paul Borg

Performance, Dislocation and Spirituality: Adrift Together – Zoe Zontou

PART II: Performing Communal Identities: Ethics, Politics and Affect     

The Politics of Spectatorship: Community, Ethics and Affect in Contemporary British Rewritings of Ancient Tragedies – Maria Elena Capitani

Living and Working in Tepantor: Understanding Political Theatre and the Community– Pujya Ghosh

Bodies Without Organs and Organs Without Bodies: The Maltese Experience of Creating National Theatres – Marco Galea

PART III: 'Glocal' Representations of Theatre Communities     

Local and Global Stages: Translating Communities in Hybrid Cultural Spaces –Szabolcs Musca

The Economic Communities of the Edinburgh August Festivals: An Exclusive 'Global Sense of Place' and an Inclusive 'Local Sense of Space' – Evi Stamatiou

Strategies of Empowerment: Postmigrant Theatre at the Ballhaus Naunynstrasse – Hasibe Kalkan

PART IV: Creative Encounters: Changing Ecologies       

Community and Ownership: Uncovering New Voices at the Royal Court Theatre – Mark O'Thomas in conversation with Vicky Featherstone 

UrbanDig Project: Theatre for Neighbourhoods – Zoe Zontou in conversation with George Sachinis

Community Theatre as Political Theatre: Towards a New Political Theatre Practice – Marius Bogdan Tudor and Ionuț Sociu in conversation with David Schwartz

PART V: Emerging Practices: Connecting Through the Digital and the Verbatim    

New Technologies for a New Audience?  Using Transmedia Storytelling towards a New Experience Design Form – Ágnes Bakk

Manipulation of Reality Through an Interactive Game: Remote X as an Example of New Modes of Spectatorship – Nad’a Satkova  

Feeding Back: Verbatim Theatre and/as Communal Practice – Bettina Auerswald

Conclusion

Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca

Notes on Contributors

Sujets

• Theater
• Performing Arts
• Theatre
• Street theatre
• Index of urban studies articles
• General officer
• Activism
• General
• Cultural Studies

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789380774
• Langue: English

Extrait

First published in the UK in 2019 by
Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
First published in the USA in 2019 by Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Copyright © 2019 Intellect Ltd
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Cover designer: Aleksandra Szumlas
Cover image: Photo by Irina Vosgerau/isuvo, Athens.
From the Dourgouti Island Hotel project/UrbanDig, 2015–16.
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Print ISBN: 978-1-78938-076-7
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This is a peer-reviewed publication.
Contents
Table of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca
P ART I: T HEATRE C OMMUNITIES: T RACES , P LACES AND B ELONGING
1. Communal Solidarity and Amateur Theatre in Post-Revolutionary Russia: Theoretical Approaches
Stefan Aquilina
2. Theatre in Malta: Which Spaces Does the Community Occupy?
Vicki Ann Cremona and Ruben Paul Borg
3. Performance, Dislocation and Spirituality: Adrift Together
Zoe Zontou
P ART II: P ERFORMING C OMMUNAL I DENTITIES: E THICS , P OLITICS AND A FFECT
4. The Politics of Spectatorship: Community, Ethics and Affect in Contemporary British Rewritings of Ancient Tragedies
Maria Elena Capitani
5. Living and Working in Tepantor: Understanding Political Theatre and the Community
Pujya Ghosh
6. Bodies without Organs and Organs without Bodies: The Maltese Experience of Creating National Theatres
Marco Galea
P ART III: ‘G LOCAL ’ R EPRESENTATIONS OF T HEATRE C OMMUNITIES
7. Local and Global Stages: Translating Communities in Hybrid Cultural Spaces
Szabolcs Musca
8. The Economic Communities of the Edinburgh August Festivals: An Exclusive ‘Global Sense of Place’ and an Inclusive ‘Local Sense of Space’
Evi Stamatiou
9. Strategies of Empowerment: Postmigrant Theatre at the Ballhaus Naunynstraße
Hasibe Kalkan
P ART IV: C REATIVE E NCOUNTERS: C HANGING E COLOGIES
10. Community and Ownership: Uncovering New Voices at the Royal Court Theatre
Mark O’Thomas in conversation with Vicky Featherstone
11. UrbanDig Project: Theatre for Neighbourhoods
Zoe Zontou in conversation with George Sachinis
12. Community Theatre as Political Theatre: Towards a New Political Theatre Practice
Marius Bogdan Tudor and Ionuț Sociu in conversation with David Schwartz
P ART V: E MERGING P RACTICES: C ONNECTING THROUGH THE D IGITAL AND THE V ERBATIM
13. New Technologies for a New Audience? Using Transmedia Storytelling towards a New Experience Design Form
Ágnes Bakk
14. Manipulation of Reality through an Interactive Game: Remote X as an Example of New Modes of Spectatorship
Naďa Satková
15. Feeding Back: Verbatim Theatre and/as Communal Practice
Bettina Auerswald
Conclusion
Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca
Notes on Contributors
Index
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Fallen Angels member, Adrift Together , Liverpool 2015. Photo credit: Andrew Millar.
Figure 2: Fallen Angels member, Adrift Together , Liverpool 2015. Photo credit: Andrew Millar.
Figure 3: Fallen Angels members, Adrift Together , Liverpool 2015. Photo credit: Andrew Millar.
Figure 4: Fallen Angels member, Adrift Together , Liverpool 2015. Photo credit: Andrew Millar.
Figure 5: Fallen Angels members, Adrift Together , Liverpool 2015. Photo credit: Andrew Millar.
Figure 6: Tepantor: scene from an impromptu play. Photo credit: Pujya Ghosh.
Figure 7: Tepantor: the rehearsal space. Photo credit: Pujya Ghosh.
Figure 8: UrbanDig 2015. Photo credit: Irene Fosgeraou.
Figure 9: UrbanDig creative process.
Figure 10: UrbanDig 2015. Photo credit: Irene Fosgeraou.
Figure 11: UrbanDig 2015. Photo credit: Anna Kanta.
Figure 12: Domiciliu Instabil (Instable Residence), 2016. Photo credit: Vârsta4. Featuring Margareta Eschenasy and Mihaela Bârlegi.
Figure 13: Domiciliu Instabil (Instable Residence), 2016. Photo credit: Vârsta4. Featuring Pompiliu Sterian and Ioseph Cotnăreanu.
Acknowledgements
The editors are grateful to a large number of people without whose help and encouragement this book would never have been published. First of all we would like to thank all the practitioners and academics who participated in the conference entitled Redefining Theatre Communities: Community Perspectives in Contemporary Theatre-Making , which was held at the Gozo Campus of the University of Malta. For their assistance before and during this conference, we would like to thank Joseph Calleja and Marvin Grech. We are particularly grateful to Professor Joe Friggieri, then pro-rector responsible for the campus for his generosity and expert support and to the Conference and Events Unit, especially Lucienne Bugeja, for going out of their way to help us.
The University of Malta has supported this project from the beginning through an ongoing research grant that financed the organization of the conference and many of the expenses involved in producing this book. The Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Malta also provided financial support, but it is the constant moral and intellectual support from all colleagues in the department that is most appreciated.
We are also grateful to the Creative Literary Studio (UK) especially Manuela Perteghella and the University of Bristol’s Theatre Department for being partners in our conference venture. Thanks also goes to Kate Nagy, whose help and insightful knowledge in publicizing this project was invaluable.
We are humbled by the faith shown in this book project by Intellect Books and are grateful to Naomi Curston and Tim Mitchell who guided the process with a lot of patience and even more knowledge towards the finishing line. For his technical assistance in preparing the manuscript, we would like to thank Reno Fenech.
Introduction
Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca
In early 2015 we embarked on an exciting new project, an international collaboration between the University of Malta’s Department of Theatre Studies and New Tides Platform, UK. Our aim was to facilitate a lively debate on the ever-changing relationship between theatre and communities as part of an international conference that eventually took place on the unique island of Gozo in Malta in mid- September 2015. The three-day conference entitled Redefining Theatre Communities: Community Perspectives in Contemporary Theatre-Making introduced and discussed a whole array of perspectives on the changing relationship between contemporary theatre and communities. Participants from around twenty countries were involved in this event, mapping new approaches and shifts in the theatrical environment on an international level. Aesthetic, social, cultural and political aspects of community-conscious theatre practices were discussed in a variety of formats. Academic papers, practical workshops and practice-led talks were equally present at the conference. The conscious decision to invite scholars and researchers as well as theatre directors, actors, dramaturgs and cultural managers proved to be a constructive one. Participants gained insight on emerging theatrical projects and transnational initiatives with strong social and community engagement, and also had the chance to experience new modes of community building and devising via practice-based workshops. Academic presentations addressed and contextualized topics such as temporary communities, spaces and politics of community engagement, translocal communities in theatre and performance, formation of new theatre communities and new forms of spectatorship. Established and early-career researchers from diverse cultural backgrounds shared their current projects and discussed ideas of mutual interest. Lively debates were an important part of the programme and it often continued beyond the formal settings of the conference. One of the main outcomes of this project was the establishment of an international network that brought together academics and theatre practitioners from around the world expanding our understanding on contemporary theatre-making and communities.
This edited collection was born from the stimulating discussions that took place in Gozo, bearing the intellectual imprints of both the 30 plus conference participants and the historically and socioculturally complex environment that this Mediterranean island represents between Europe and Africa. Redefining Theatre Communities is rooted in the collective effort of both academics and theatre-makers. The majority of the chapters in this volume directly relate to the conference, but given the distance in time since the event, connections to the topics deepened and more detailed reflections took shape, hence the collection itself became a platform for creatively returning, rethinking and redefining the multiple forms in which contemporary theatre connects with its various communities internationally. The multiplicity of contributions is core in this process. The collection presents different voices from various cultural backgrounds and embedded in various theatre traditions. We do not wish to create the illusion of a single-authored monograph. On the contrary, we believe that this diversity of voices is one of the assets of this volume.
Redefining linkages between theatre and communities is of course an ongoing critical process rather than a renewed attempt to establish rock-solid meanin