East African theatres and performances

Abstract

The focus of the book is primarily performance and its dialectical relationship with culture and society in East African theatre practices and traditions. A secondary interest pursued in the book is a broader exploration and articulation of the concept of performance, much in the same way that Schechner (2002: 34) proposes it to encompass a myriad of human activities that are perceived to be “restored behaviour” or “twice behaved behaviours”. The book explores the relationship between dance, dialogue, music, recitation, song, and the theatrical performance as inscribed in various indigenous concepts. It further centres on the insights into the nature of theatre and/or performance as a cultural practice and an art form, and theatre’s relationship to culture and identity. It examines indigenous performance processes and structures that include staging techniques, proxemic principles, design and its realisation, performer-spectator relationship, the non-professionalism of the different categories of performers and theatre makers in East Africa. The study takes account of the mix of representational and presentational modes of performance, aligned to predominantly non-script-based theatre practices, which sharply contrast with the often highly stylized forms of many Asian performance traditions as well as the often realistic modes of performance of some other non-African traditions. By examining both the indigenous performance forms and practices and the ways in which their work is conceptualized, developed, and staged, this study demonstrates the potential influence of African thought and aesthetics on aspects of global contemporary theatre and performance.