Performance and Cosmopolitics: Cross-Cultural Transactions in Australasia (Studies in International Performance)

This ground-breaking study of cross-cultural theatre in the Australasian region focuses on theatrical events and practices in avant-garde and mainstream contexts. It explores the cultural and political dimensions of Australia's engagement with Asia and sheds light on international arts marketing and trends in cross-cultural performance training. Performance and Cosmopolitics, now available in paperback, is a pioneering study of cross-cultural theatre in the Australasian region, positioned within the broader context of a global performing arts market and continued international interest in the traditions and aesthetics of non-Western cultures. Gilbert and Lo deploy the concept of cosmopolitanism as a unique window into mainstream, avant-garde and community arts practices ranging from the 1850s to the present day. Arguing that indigenization and Asianization have constituted key strategies for forging Australian theatre's current cosmopolitan credentials, the book maps the history and impact of these processes and features detailed case studies to draw out their aesthetic, commercial, political and ethical dimensons. While this study is grounded in a specific regional history and politics, it also serves as a paradigmatic study of cross-cultural arts transactions. By focusing on theatre's particular traditions of corporeality and presence, Performance and Cosmopolitics challenges some of the foundational principles of cosmopolitanism and asserts that its claim to a 'disinterested' global citizenship falters when confronted with the realpolitik of bodily praxis "Performance and Cosmopolitics is a pioneering study of cross-cultural theatre in the Australasian region, positioned within the broader context of a global performing arts market and continued international interest in the traditions and aesthetics of non-Western cultures. Gilbert and Lo deploy the concept of cosmopolitanism as a unique window into mainstream, avant-garde and community arts practices ranging from the 1850s to the present day. Arguing that indigenization and Asianization have constituted key strategies for forging Australian theatre's current cosmopolitan credentials, the book maps the history and impact of these processes and features detailed case studies to draw out their aesthetic, commercial, political and ethical dimension." "While this study is grounded in a specific regional history and politics, it also serves as a paradigmatic study of cross-cultural arts transactions. By focusing on theatre's particular traditions of corporeality and presence, Performance and Cosmopolitics challenges some of the foundational principles of cosmopolitanism and asserts that its claim to a 'disinterested global citizenship falters when confronted with the realpolitik of bodily praxis."--BOOK JACKET Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction: Performing Cosmopolitics....Pages 1-20 (Anti-)Cosmopolitan Encounters....Pages 21-46 Indigenizing Australian Theatre....Pages 47-81 Asianizing Australian Theatre....Pages 82-111 Marketing Difference at the Adelaide Festival....Pages 112-130 Crossing Cultures: Case Studies....Pages 131-165 Asian Australian Hybrid Praxis....Pages 166-185 Performance and Asylum: Ethics, Embodiment, Efficacy....Pages 186-206 Conclusion: Cosmopolitics in the New Millennium....Pages 207-212 Back Matter....Pages 213-245 'Performance and Cosmopolitics' is a ground-breaking study of cross-cultural theatre in the Australasian region. Focusing on a range of theatrical events and practices in avant-garde, mainstream and community contexts, the text explores the cultural, political and ethical dimensions of Australia's engagement with Asia