Postcolonial Plays: An Anthology

484 Pages·2001·2.41 MB·English

by  Helen Gilbert

Postcolonial Plays
This collection of contemporary postcolonial plays
demonstrates the extraordinary vitality of a body of work that is
currently influencing the shape of contemporary world theatre.
The anthology, the first of its kind, includes both
internationally admired ‘classics’ and previously unpublished
texts. It draws upon work from Canada, the Caribbean, South
and West Africa, Southeast Asia, India, New Zealand, Hawai‘i
and Australia.
Dealing with imperialism and its aftermath, the plays use a
wide range of dramaturgical techniques drawn from Western
theatre and local performance traditions. Agit-prop dialogue,
musical routines, storytelling, ritual incantation, epic narration,
dance, multimedia presentation and puppetry are among the
many ways through which individuals and groups express their
concerns. The plays dramatise issues as diverse as:
• globalisation
• political corruption
• race and class relations
• slavery
• gender and sexuality
• media representation
• nationalism
Postcolonial Plays: An Anthologyincludes a general introduction
that outlines key issues relevant to the study of postcolonial
theatre. Individual introductions to plays include biographical
information on the author, an overview of the play’s main
thematic concerns and performance features, and a summary
of its performance history.
Helen Gilbertlectures in Drama and Theatre Studies at the
University of Queensland. She is author of Sightlines: Race,
Gender and Nation in Contemporary Australian Theatre, and
co-author of Post-colonial Drama: Theory, Practice, Politics.
Editoral Advisers: Susan Bennett, Sudipto Chatterjee, J. Ellen
Gainor, Gareth Griffiths, Liz Gunner, Jacqueline Lo, Howard
McNaughton, Tejumola Olaniyan, Martin Orkin, Lionel
Pilkington, Elaine Savory, Jyotsna Singh and Jerry Wasserman.
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Postcolonial Plays
An anthology
Edited by Helen Gilbert
First published 2001 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Reprinted 2007 (twice)
Transferred to Digital Printing 2008
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2001 Selection and editorial matter by Helen Gilbert
Typeset in Veljovic by Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN10: 0–415–16448–6 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–16449–4 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–16448–1 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–16449–8 (pbk)
To the playwrights whose unforgettable works
are gathered here and those reluctantly passed
over this time
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Contents
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Acknowledgements for play texts xiii
General Introduction 1
1 Judith ThompsonIntroduction 8
Pink(Canada 1986) 10
2 Maishe MaponyaIntroduction 12
The Hungry Earth(South Africa 1979) 16
3 Jane Taylor, with William Kentridge and the Handspring Puppet
CompanyIntroduction 25
Ubu and the Truth Commission(South Africa 1997) 29
4 Wole SoyinkaIntroduction 48
The Strong Breed(Nigeria 1964) 52
5 Femi OsofisanIntroduction 69
Once Upon Four Robbers(Nigeria 1978) 73
6 Ama Ata AidooIntroduction 97
Anowa(Ghana 1970) 101
7 Derek WalcottIntroduction 128
Pantomime(Trinidad 1978) 132
8 Sistren Theatre CollectiveIntroduction 153
QPH(Jamaica 1981) 157
9 Girish KarnadIntroduction 179
Hayavadana(India 1971) 183
10 Manjula PadmanabhanIntroduction 214
Harvest(India 1997) 217
11 Kee Thuan ChyeIntroduction 250
1984 Here and Now(Malaysia 1985) 254
vii
CONTENTS
12 Chin Woon PingIntroduction 273
Details Cannot Body Wants(Singapore 1992) 276
13 Louis NowraIntroduction 286
Inside the Island(Australia 1980) 290
14 Jimmy Chi and KucklesIntroduction 320
Bran Nue Dae(Australia 1990) 324
15 Briar Grace-SmithIntroduction 348
Nga Pou Wahine(New Zealand 1995) 352
16 Victoria Nalani KneubuhlIntroduction 364
The Conversion of Ka‘ahumanu(Hawai’i 1988) 367
17 Tomson HighwayIntroduction 390
The Rez Sisters(Canada 1986) 394
18 Guillermo VerdecchiaIntroduction 419
Fronteras Americanas (American Borders)(Canada 1993) 423
19 Charabanc Theatre CompanyIntroduction 443
Somewhere Over the Balcony(Northern Ireland 1988) 447
viii
Illustrations
1 Animation fragment: eye/camera motif 30
2 Niles confronts Pa Ubu 33
3 Witness puppet 35
4 Animation fragment: the evidence 39
5 Pa Ubu implicates Brutus 43
6 Animation fragment: the hanging of Brutus 45
7 ‘Traffic Lights’ 329
8 ‘Listen to the News’ 333
9 ‘Everybody likes a Magabala’ 335
10 ‘Child of Glory’ 345
ix