Digging up stories : applied theatre, performance and war / James Thompson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thompson, James, 1966-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War and theater.

Theater and society.

Theater--Political aspects.

Theater.

Community theater.

Physical Description:

x, 262 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave, 2005.

Summary:

In Digging up stories, James Thompson explores the problems of theatre practice in communities affected by war and exclusion. Each chapter or 'story' is written in an engaging and accessible style and draws on a range of contemporary performance theories. The chapters include discussions of: the ethics of storytelling in war zones, participatory theatre in refugee camps, inadvertently revealing stories of a massacre during a theatre workshop, the problems of researching traditional dance-dramas in an area out of state control, the dilemmas encountered when invited to use 'Forum' theatre on the Mahabharata, the performance of tourism and research, the issues raised when the author is filmed at a memorial for dead militants.

Digging up stories documents a range of theatre practice and includes project reports, ethnographic accounts, performance analysis and diary-style reflection. Taken from the author's research and practice in Sri Lanka, these diverse examples question the link between applied theatre, traditional performance and performances in everyday life. The book blurs the lines between research and creative writing to create rich and provocative accounts of applying theatre in a troubled setting.

Digging up stories is compelling reading for anyone interested in applied or social theatre, theatre practice and performance studies. An invaluable commentary on the interface between practice and its context, the book will be of interest to theatre students and practitioners.

Contents:

1 Words of introduction/words of caution 1

2 Going nowhere 17

3 Arriving in Sri Lanka 19

4 An archaeology of theatre in war: a previous workshop example 23

5 Hatton workshops 41

6 Batticaloa 49

7 Seeing is believing? Three more workshop examples 57

8 Finding kooththu 63

9 Another aside on games 99

10 Burning the drums 103

11 Dance class 111

12 Sitars 115

13 Memorials 119

14 Forum kooththu 123

15 A public workshop 133

16 Malaria maps 141

17 Human rights/cultural rights 145

18 A theatre of attack: visit to Suriya 153

19 In the presence of the leader 161

20 Refugee-camp theatre 167

21 On watching children's theatre 181

22 Memorials 2: wearing the poppy 191

23 Nowhere again 197

24 Finding kolam 201

25 A final aside on games 211

26 Anti-diagnosis: theatre, not case-histories 215

27 Open ceremony: development performed 221

28 The thin strip 225

29 Arts projects and Christmas lights: a final turn in the theatre of war 231

30 Inconclusivity 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [255]-259) and index.

ISBN:

0719073146

0719073154

OCLC:

61425447

Publisher Number:

9780719073144

9780719073151