Theatre Matters

Theatre, in a variety of forms and contexts, can make, and indeed has made, positive political and social interventions in a range of developing cultures across the world. In this book a distinguished team of theatre historians and dramatists explores how theatre has a dynamic and often difficult relationship with societies and states, arguing positively that theatrical activity can make a difference. The collection begins with a foreword by Wole Soyinka and, through the volume, specially chosen plays, projects and movements are examined, embracing a variety of theatrical forms from conventional text to on-site developmental work. The communities addressed range from the national to the local, from middle-class elites to the economically dispossessed in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, Nigeria, Eritrea and South Africa, and India and the Caribbean countries.

• A distinguished list of contributors including Wole Soyinka (Nobel Prize winner for Literature), Femi Osofisan and Jatinder Verma • Topic studied by undergraduate students; may also appeal to the general reader • International, multi-cultural context

Foreword: a letter from Kingston Wole Soyinka; 1. Introduction Jane Plastow; 2. ‘The Revolution as Muse’: drama as surreptitious insurrection in a post-colonial, military state Femi Osofisan; 3. Making theatre for a change: two plays of the Eritrean liberation struggle Jane Plastow and Solomon Tsehaye; 4. Race matters in South African theatre Ian Steadman; 5. Dreams of violence: moving beyond colonialism in Canadian and Caribbean drama Christopher Innes; 6. The French-speaking Caribbean: journeying from the native land Carole-Anne Upton; 7. ‘Binglishing’ the stage: a generation of Asian theatre in England Jatinder Verma; 8. Popular theatre for the building of social awareness: the Indian experience Jacob Srampickal and Richard Boon; 9. The promise of performance: True Love/Real Love Paul Heritage; 10. Making America or making revolution: the theatre of Ricardo Halac in Argentina George Woodyard.