Emily Dwornik

Thea 481 Prof. Dorsey

Global Theatre Portfolio
On the Merits of Seeing, Studying, and Making Global Theatre
As Americans, we have a tendency to be extremely ethnocentric,
whether intentionally or unintentionally, when it comes to analyzing
theatrical works and performance styles from around the world. We
have even brought up in class the idea that calling this a global
theatre portfolio while excluding the west could be considered
othering, although I understand the purpose of this assignment is to
explore performance cultures besides our own. Throughout the past
month and a half, I have been able to collect plays, articles, images,
and experiences that have proven to me just how important it is to
immense oneself in global theatre. Seeing, studying, and making
global theatre is an essential practice as a young theatre artist in order
to appreciate visual elements, participate in intellectual discourse,
challenge previous conceptions of theatre, and develop a shared
vocabulary and respect for all performance works, forms, and
practitioners.

One of the most enjoyable ways of exploring non-western

theatre is by looking at pictures and watching videos. When you get to
see sketches, paintings, and photographs it is so much easier to
connect the concepts you read about to actual practices. For example,

I saw the puppet show at the Harrisonburg International Festival about

the West African fables of Ananzi the spider, which inspired me to look
up what traditional West African puppets look like. They were
completely different than the apparently inauthentic puppets we saw.
Therefore, looking up traditional visual images can also clarify
misconceptions we may have of other theatrical practices because of
appropriation and poor or inaccurate representation of those practices.
Another important aspect of seeing global theatre is by attending live
performances! Firstly, lots of forms of theatre are intended to be seen
live and cannot be adequately captured on paper. For instance, I did
not enjoy reading The Love Suicides at Sonezaki and I think a big
part of that had to do with the fact that I couldnt imagine well what it
would look like with the puppets. Had I seen a live performance, seen
the nuanced tilt of Ohatsus head and the flourish of Tokubeis hand
with the razor, then I would have likely been much more moved.
Additionally, when Bessie visited our class we had an interesting
discussion about the griots of capital A Africa, and how they were
history keepers and storytellers. Surely that form is considered
performance and yet there is no way of writing down the stories
because that completely goes against the principle of what a griot is!
Finally, and this is me stepping on my theatrical soapbox for a
moment, I believe it is extremely important to see live performances of
non-western shows in order to educate yourself on that culture or style,

but also because it is showing support for a severely underrepresented

and underappreciated group in the United States. The overwhelming
majority of the American theatrical cannon is, as Snehal Desai put it
when he visited our class, naturalism and realism and the majority of
that is written by white men.

I would broadly categorize studying global theatre as reading

plays, looking up their history, and delving into academic resources.
For the purposes of this essay, I am trying to pick apart categories of
seeing, studying, and making global theatre and therefore I see the
studying aspect as being the most academic. As I mentioned
previously, studying global theatre should be an essential practice of
every young theatre artist. It would be foolish to say that our entire
education could be based on American and Western European plays
theatre traditions and that we would be able to be successful theatre
makers. So much of American theatre has been influenced by nonWestern methods of performance that without it in our curriculum we
would seriously suffer. Additionally, our world has become a global
society. With the ability to share information quickly and easily, new
resources have become available to us that make studying global
theatre more efficient than its ever been. The Internet, with its
multitude of databases, academic journals, and production information,
has made it possible to read a Kabuki play at 2 in the morning should

one wish to do that. Why wouldnt we take advantage of this

convenience? Finally, as if this wasnt motivation enough, have you
ever had a conversation with someone and think later Man, if I knew
more about Sanskrit drama I wouldnt have looked like such an idiot
when I asked them about Bhavabhuti? If the answer is yes, then
congratulations! There are things you dont know, but would like to!
Again, we are developing a global society, which is wonderful because
it means we get to interact with people who live vastly different lives
from our own. One responsibility we have, that is more pressing now
than ever, is to be respectful of other cultures and to seek to
understand things outside of our own bubble. That job becomes a lot
easier when one is informed enough to participate in intellectual
discourse. I am reminded of the conversation we had with Claire Croft
in class about her experience in Africa discussing the drumming
ceremony she watched. She asked a lot of questions out of curiosity
with honest intentions, however had she known a little more about the
tradition she would have realized how ignorant she sounded and how
inappropriate her questions were.

Finally, and I can now speak from firsthand experience, but it is

extremely important to participate in the making of global theatre if
you have the opportunity, and seek to work with people who have
experience with the art form or culture that you are representing. My

experience working on Shakuntala has been nothing but fun and

fulfilling. While it is necessary to see global theatre and study it, there
is something about the kinetic act of actually putting that knowledge to
use. Being a part of this production, I spent a lot of time looking at
videos of Kathakali dance, which is what has inspired our movement
pieces throughout the show, as well as following Rebecca Lustigs
pinterest board as she posts inspirations for her costume design. These
visual elements helped me to understand what this world traditionally
looks like so I am able to understand what is inspiring this new world
we are creating with our production. Additionally, I spent a lot of time
speaking with our dramaturg, Lauren Chapman, about Kalidasa, the
time he wrote this play in, and how it was adapted from the
Mahabharata. I have talked with Snehal Desai, the director, and Daniel
Phoenix Singh, the choreographer, about the significance of Hinduism
and religion in the play, how class informs my character, and how to
define relationships based on the fact that my character is a religious
elder. This show has challenged me to step outside my comfort zone
and throw myself wholeheartedly into another culture, another
performance style, and another world that I had never experienced
before. Learning is safe, doing is dangerous. I challenge every theatre
maker to be dangerous. Do things. Do them appropriately and
respectfully, but do them. Because theatre is meant to be performed,
theatre is meant to be made. However if you cannot make it for

yourself, help others make it. Be an advocate for more minority

playwrights, actors, designers, and directors. Support them. Give them
a voice. Do not speak for them, but give them room to speak for
themselves. I cannot stress enough how important this art is and how
fortunate I feel to be able to tell this beautiful story.