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International Theatre Conference: Directing and Authorship in Western Drama
Panel One |
| From
March to early June, 2003, Michael Devine worked as a theatre director in
Romania. In directing a Canadian play in German at one of the largest state
theatres in the country, and then directing a German play in Romanian at
one of the country's newest theatres, Devine experienced a first-hand look
at the systemic, infrastructural and praxis-oriented differences between
Canadian and Romanian theatre cultures, and how those differences can be
bridged - or exacerbated - through an intercultural approach to text and
rehearsal. In keeping a journal of nearly 60,000 words, Devine managed to
keep track of his shifting understanding of the issues at play in bringing
one culture to another.
In this paper Professor Devine will enumerate the issues which most influenced his approach to directing Canadian and German plays, produced in languages he does not speak. The question becomes: how does one find a commonality between languages, plays, and cultures amidst the extraordinary pressures of Romanian society? The answer: through an insistence on play, and an exploration into signifiers and the language of gestus. The result: a hybridised mixture of psychological realism and representational playing styles and a Romanian flag draped around your neck. |