On The Merits of Seeing, Studying, and Making Global Theatre

In dealing with theatre, we should not ignore the clue given to

us by the semantic implications of the word playwright. Plays are not
merely written they are wrought from many elements, the text being
merely one element in the whole process (Hauptfleisch, 147). The
term global theatre spans innumerable theatre and performance
traditions, which include but are not limited to those grounded in
written texts. It bodes well to follow Hauptfleischs warning that in
approaching theatre, the text is not the final stage of the pieces
theatrical life. Moreover, it could be argued that the completion of a
text is merely the beginning of a theatrical pieces life. In such, one
cannot hope to see, study, or make global theatre simply by examining
words on a page. As it stands, intercultural defines the relationship
between or among two or more cultures (rather than nations).
[Hence,] intercultural performances emphasize[s] what connects or is
shared or what separates or is unique about these culture and in
making this comparison creates an opportunity for celebration,
dialogue, and greater understanding. Thus, accepting the definition of
intercultural and intercultural performance, and understanding
Hauptfleischs warning of theatre being so much more than the text
found online or in a book it is essential to see, study, and make global
theatre in order to grapple with concepts of differing cultures as a

means to arrive on the other side of the experience a more

understanding, engaged, and enlightened world community.
The term grapple, is one that is well suited for a discussion of
theatre. The work created in any performance medium is often created
as an opportunity to grapple with a concept, circumstance, ideal, or
belief that is inaccessible through any other medium. Consider Maishe
Maponyas The Hungry Earth, a South African work falling into the
category of Black theatre. Black theatre in South Africa is most
comparable to the American tradition established by the Theatre of the
Oppressed, established by Boal, in that the works are meant to
motivate black South Africans towards racial equality in a country
deeply scarred by Apartheid. The Hungry Earth through song, dance,
and episodic plot explores the manner in which Black South Africans
are fed to the earth in order to further the Umlungu, or White mans
wealth. There is no resolution, there is no open condemnation of the
white man, there is only a piece of theatre that delves fully into the
Black experience in South Africa and exposes, viscerally, the
experience to the audience. The Hungry Earth is an instance of
grappling with concepts of inequality, historical injustice, and concern
for an unchanging future. The purpose is not to arrive at a conclusion
but rather to rip open the issue, subjecting the heart of the matter to
scrutiny. Furthermore, the structure of theatrical performance gives
creators the freedom to wrestle with various issues in unconventional

ways. One need not explore the atrocities of the Holocaust in a

concentration camp, but could bring that terror into a fairytale as a
new means of approaching the topic. Theatre provides a new lens, and
when that lens expands into global theatre styles and traditions the
possibilities for exploration become endless.
The endlessness of the possibilities of global theatre is also
manifest in its cyclical nature. The traditions of Japanese Noh and
Kabuki drama influence the development of Tadashi Suzukis actor
training and find themselves at the foundations of the avant-garde
modern dance form, Butoh. The Handspring Puppet Company, based in
South Africa, restores a connection of inanimate objects into live
performance throughout the world in which these puppets are
endowed with the lives of South Africans, Europeans, and many more.
It all eventually returns to its beginning, but forever altered. To
understand ones place in the world of global theatre necessitates the
ability to see, study, and make global theatre. The student familiar with
the traditions of another culture may find them resurface in
unexpected ways and is able to approach and appreciate them
because of familiarity. Art cannot and should not be created in a
vacuum, devoid of the ability to touch, explore, and embrace the world
surrounding it. This surrounding world is interconnected, whether
through history or mass media is irrelevant, and this connection
renders ignorance impossible and exploration vital.

Theatre artists without interest of the theatrical world, or world in

general, that surrounds them open themselves to cultural imperialism
simply through neglect. To deploy elements from the symbol system
of another culture is a very delicate enterprise (Schechner, 265). This
enterprise cannot be undertaken without an understanding of global
theatre. If interculturalism hinges on the question of autonomy and
empowerment than it is the duty of the artist to development both an
intellectual and practical understanding of the elements of autonomy
and empowerment that apply in these circumstances. Consider Bartho
Smits Afrikaans play Christine, set in Nazi Germany with numerous
shifts of time and place. The piece is a historical exploration of both the
persecution and systematic execution of Jews in Europe and the
atrocities of Apartheid. The comparison cannot hold with one historical
understanding being stronger than the other, even though the setting
favors that of Nazi Germany. Similarly, one cannot understand how
Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet functions as a means to assess the
Arab-Jewish interaction without an understanding of both
Shakespeares intellectual inspiration and the context of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. To deny one to see, study, and make global theatre
in the most visceral, full-bodied manner is a disservice to the artist and
the world, for art speaks to the wounds this world has sustained at the
hands of its inhabitants and there is no hope for repair if there is no
understanding of the weapons which created those wounds.

Theatre is a tool through which to explore, celebrate, and

criticize the human condition. The human condition is not limited to
what one can find in their backyard, but what one can find across
mountain and oceans. To see, study, and make global theatre is to
engage with the world, fearlessly. It requires the utmost care and
kindness, but yields rewards that can compensate for small
indiscretions or fumbles along the way. The importance of engaging
with the world at large resides in what it yields, the global theatre that
is produced and shared. The works stand for themselves in that they
capture moments, archetypes, and emotions that are universal and
grounded in their cultures at the same time. It is an injustice not to
share these global theatre texts and performance traditions for it
denies the world an understanding of the unique way in which humans
approach questions of life and conflict. Global theatre is vital to the
study of theatre because it is theatre there is no separation.