Christina Ramsey

Performance Studies
Dr. Beck
29 March 2016
On the Merits of Seeing, Studying, and Making Global Theatre

Global theatre is quite a broad topic and is heavily debated by many scholars and
audiences alike. Global theatre encompasses many different things: plays by foreign playwrights,
foreign locations in plays, performance in different languages, the fusion of two cultures in
performance, etc. The list goes on and on. While the definition of global theatre may be broad,
the question of whether or not to see, study, and create it is simple. We should absolutely be
pursuing theatre in a global sense. The biggest reason to create, study, and see global theatre is,
simply put, to educate. It is through global theatre that countries, cultures, and languages all
across the world can be brought together and learned.
To be frank, before my endeavor into global theatre through this project, I had no idea
what Concert Party theatre was. To me, it sounded like something to be watched or danced to
at a nightclub. Since then, I have learned just how different it is. Like many other theatre styles,
Concert Party has a rich history, riddled with controversy, politics, and social satire. Ever since I
started researching it, through documentaries and books, I have been captivated by it. One of the
most interesting things about it, to me, was their use of blackface in performance. While I have
always been taught that blackface is nothing but racist and offensive, the performers in this style
see no such connotation. To them, it is just face paint. They use it to ensure that the audience is
having a good time and is being entertained. While I do believe it is inappropriate to use in a
western context, because of our history, blackface does exist outside of the offensive western

minstrel shows as a form of entertainment and fun for these African theatre artists. Through this
particular example, I have learned just how much of a global stamp we tend to put on our own
western customs and beliefs. Without my studying this style of theatre, I would know nothing
about theatre practices in Ghana, and would not have learned this other way of thinking.
In regards to seeing global theatre, I cannot say that I saw one single piece of it before
attending JMU. While I am glad that JMU values the creation of global theatre, it saddens me to
know that it rarely occurs in the high schools and community theaters in our area. The most
memorable piece of global theatre that I have seen was Sound of a Voice. I had never been
exposed to Noh theatre before, and it was so exciting to witness people my own age performing
it. As I discussed in my play paper about Matsukaze, Noh theatre relies heavily on movement and
music to get its story across. Actors are trained from a very young age, so as to perfect the
customary movements and gestures. Because of this, it is such a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing
type of theatre to watch. I have never been more captivated by slow, methodical movement
onstage as I was when I watched that piece. Ever since seeing it, I have wanted to delve even
more into Noh theatre and how it is performed. Since I was fortunate enough to see that
production, I now have a window into Japanese theatre and art forms, and I cannot wait to be
educated even more.
When it comes to performing global theatre, I have very little experience. However, I can
speak on how exciting it was to prepare for the production of Shakuntala at JMU. For months
before our theatre department took on this show, we were discussing in class the benefits and
drawbacks of taking on a completely different style of theatre. In a department that is lacking in
diversity, we talked about how much it would benefit the student audience as well as the
performers. After seeing it and hearing about the collaborate process, I believe that Shakuntala

was a highly educational process more than anything. The performers had the opportunity to
learn the dance and gestures specific to Sanskrit theatre, and the audience got to learn a new style
of theatre through the cultural fusion of the piece. Because of this creation of global theatre in
Harrisonburg, Virginia, many people got to be exposed to a style of theatre they may never have
known, otherwise. As for myself, the production of Shakuntala sparked my interest in Sanskrit
theatre, which I then explored further in my global portfolio. This was a highly educational
experience for me and I enjoyed it very much. What stood out to me about this style of theatre
was the visual aspect of it. Every single costume, facial expression, makeup style, and gesture
worked together to tell the story. Through Sanskrit, I learned more about the culture of India and
what people find entertaining and educational.
As I have discussed, the education of different cultures through global theatre is
imperative. However, you may be wondering: why? Why is it so important that we educate
ourselves about the world around us? There are so many people, cultures, and languages that
have been wiped out by the western world simply because it is uneducated. Take the example
from my play paper about Death of the Kings Horseman, for instance. If Simon Pilking, a
British government official, had been educated about the native people and the custom of the
horsemans death, destruction and shame could have certainly been spared. There are also
countless real-world examples of the loss of certain cultures and customs due to colonization.
For example, the movement and oppression of the Native American people by European
exploration. When a country that holds much of the worlds power is uneducated, the people of
the country with less power tend to be dehumanized. The western world deems them and their
customs as unusual and barbaric, and therefore, obsolete. As history shows, without the
education of these different cultures, lives, homes, and identities are lost. This is absolutely

unacceptable. The diverse nature of our world and its many languages, cultures, and art forms is
beautiful, and should not be done away with. This can be prevented through education provided
in seeing, studying, and creating global theatre.
In short, one of the greatest links that we have to other cultures is global theatre. If we
can use it to educate as well as entertain the world, history has a much smaller chance of
repeating itself.