Crossing Cultures: Case Studies

Abstract

Thus far, the parallel processes of indigenizing and Asianizing Australian theatre have been broadly delineated in terms of patterns of occurrence and political influences. We have attempted in this survey to identify the key elements of each process as well as some of the motifs and problematics of cross-cultural theatre praxis in the Australasian region. As suggested, these developments must be understood not only with reference to Australian cultural politics but also within the context of a global arts market, the impact of which is refracted and reflected through localized modes and conditions of production and consumption. The following three case studies are designed to provide a more nuanced investigation of selected aspects of this aesthetic ‘glocalization’. The first explores indigenous refigurings of European canonical theatre texts that assume metropolitan body cultures and aesthetic systems, while the second analyses the ways in which a ‘classic’ Australian play has been progressively reinterpreted and stylistically hybridized to reflect changing dynamics in Australian-Japanese relations. The final case study investigates the incorporation of the internationally acclaimed Suzuki Method into the training regimes and performances of two avant-garde theatre groups. Cumulatively, these case studies demonstrate the ways in which global-local forces intersect with cosmopolitanism to produce art forms and practices invested with particular cultural and economic values.