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Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage : Land, People, Culture
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Over the past 50 years, Indigenous Australian theatre practice has emerged as a dynamic site for the discursive reflection of culture and tradition as well as colonial legacies, leveraging the power of storytelling to create and advocate contemporary fluid conceptions of Indigeneity.

'Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage offers a window into the history and diversity of this vigorous practice. It introduces the reader to cornerstones of Indigenous Australian cultural frameworks and on this backdrop discusses a wealth of plays in light of their responses to contemporary Australian identity politics.

'The in-depth readings of two landmark theatre productions, Scott Rankin's Namatjira (2010) and Wesley Enoch & Anita Heiss' I Am Eora (2012), trace the artists' engagement with questions of community consolidation and national reconciliation, carefully considering the implications of their propositions for identity work arising from the translation of traditional ontologies into contemporary orientations. The analyses of the dramatic texts are incrementally enriched by a dense reflection of the production and reception contexts of the plays, providing an expanded framework for the critical consideration of contemporary postcolonial theatre practice that allows for a well-founded appreciation of the strengths yet also pointing to the limitations of current representative approaches on the Australian mainstage. This study will be of great interest to students and scholars of Postcolonial, Literary, Performance and Theatre Studies.' (Publication summary)

Notes

  • Table of Contents

    Introduction

    Mapping the field

    Conceptual frame

    Production

    Dramaturgy

    Reception

    References

    1. Cultural and historical context

    Cultural relations in Australia

    Indigenous Australian ontologies and cultural practice

    A brief overview of Australian colonial history

    References

    2 Contemporary Indigenous Australian theatre

      The beginnings

      Coming of age

      Maturing practice

        Autobiographical plays

        Stories of family

        Trauma and the female role model

        Romance

        Adaptations of classics

        Historiographical intervention

          Oppression

          Agency, tenacity and inclusion

        Relation to traditional formats

    References

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Routledge ,
      2020 .
      image of person or book cover 4443012596152795506.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: x, 196p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 10 September 2019
      ISBN: 9780367242725

Works about this Work

[Review] Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage : Land, People, Culture Carissa Lee , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , October no. 77 2020; (p. 369-373)

— Review of Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage : Land, People, Culture Susanne Thurow , 2020 multi chapter work criticism

'The history chapter could have been better organised. Because these sectioned topics were oddly placed, it interfered with the flow of this chapter. In addition to the creation of the play, Thurow includes the equally important role that Big hART played with members of the Arrernte community, through Pitjantjatjara language maintenance and creating employment and skill development opportunities for marginalised communities across the APY lands. Thurow explores the problematic association of 'authenticity' with outdated images and assumptions of what Indigenous stories should look like, but at the same time she is contributing to this by using an outdated an inaccurate term 'traditional' when referring to the cultural practices of Indigenous people.' (Publication abstract)

[Review] Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage : Land, People, Culture Carissa Lee , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , October no. 77 2020; (p. 369-373)

— Review of Performing Indigenous Identities on the Contemporary Australian Stage : Land, People, Culture Susanne Thurow , 2020 multi chapter work criticism

'The history chapter could have been better organised. Because these sectioned topics were oddly placed, it interfered with the flow of this chapter. In addition to the creation of the play, Thurow includes the equally important role that Big hART played with members of the Arrernte community, through Pitjantjatjara language maintenance and creating employment and skill development opportunities for marginalised communities across the APY lands. Thurow explores the problematic association of 'authenticity' with outdated images and assumptions of what Indigenous stories should look like, but at the same time she is contributing to this by using an outdated an inaccurate term 'traditional' when referring to the cultural practices of Indigenous people.' (Publication abstract)

Last amended 26 Jul 2021 14:30:36
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