Iftr Galway 2021 Theatre Ecologies: Environments, Sustainability and Politics #Iftr2021 Contents
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IFTR GALWAY 2021 THEATRE ECOLOGIES: ENVIRONMENTS, SUSTAINABILITY AND POLITICS #IFTR2021 CONTENTS 3 Welcome Message 6 About Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway 11 Plenary Speakers 15 Programme 50 Book Launch 52 Social Programme 58 Publishers 61 Acknowledgements B 1 Welcome to the 2021 conference of the International Federation for Theatre Research. We at National University of Ireland, Galway are delighted to welcome you to this first fully-virtual IFTR conference. As most of you will be probably be aware, we had originally intended to host this conference in July 2020 in Galway. We’d hoped that you might get to know our part of Ireland a little better: that you’d enjoy events in the Galway International Arts Festival, that you’d have opportunities to explore our city and region, and so on. Our move online means that we can’t gather together in person, but we hope that this event will still look and feel like a Galway conference – one that conveys our sense of place, which highlights the theatre and research that is being made here, and which encourages you to visit us in person when it’s safe to do so in the future. The west of Ireland was a site of inspiration for the artists who developed modern Irish theatre – people such as William Butler Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory and John Millington Synge, who used the languages, folklore, and landscape of this region as the basis for the creation of a national Irish theatre. It’s also a region that is finely attuned to the impact of environmental catastrophe: our university was founded in 1845, the first year of what came to be known as the Great Irish Famine – a ‘natural’ disaster that halved the population of Ireland through starvation and mass emigration. Our sense of place therefore involves an understanding of environmental interconnection as a force for both creativity and destruction – and this is one of the reasons that we chose the theme of Theatre Ecologies: Environment, Sustainability and Politics. When we first released our call for papers in 2019, we had imagined that theme as capturing our sense that theatre operates as a kind of eco-system, as a network of interdependence that includes the relationship between performers and audience, between theatre-makers and the rest of the living world, and between all of us as an international community of scholars. The onset of the pandemic has encouraged many speakers to address these themes from new perspectives – to show how theatre has been affected by COVID-19, and to argue for its continuing importance as a source of healing, a site for analysis and inspiration, and a place in which interconnections can be renewed and reimagined. We hope that this week’s events will give momentum and substance to these and other conversations. We also hope that you will take the opportunity to enjoy some of the work included in our social programme, all of which has been made by professional artists from this part of Ireland. We thank you warmly and sincerely for the kindness and enthusiasm you have shown – both this year and last year. And we are especially grateful to Jean Graham-Jones, Elaine Aston, and the IFTR Executive Committee for their trust, encouragement and support. We hope you have a memorable and stimulating week! Best wishes Miriam Haughton, Marianne Kennedy, Patrick Lonergan, Charlotte McIvor, Ian Walsh IFTR Galway Conference Organising Team 2 3 Fáilte chuig comhdháil na Cónaidhme Idirnáisiúnta do Thaighde na hAmharclannaíochta (International Federation for Theatre Research). Is deas linn in OÉ Gaillimh, fearadh na fáilte a chur romhaibh chuig an gcéad imeacht IFTR atá iomlán fíorúil. Faoi mar is eol dá bhformhór agaibh, bhí sé i gceist againn an chomhdháil seo a reáchtáil i mí Iúil 2020 i nGaillimh. Bhí súil againn go gcuirfeadh sibh aithne ní b’fhearr ar ár dtaobh seo d’Éirinn; go mbainfeadh sibh taitneamh as imeachtaí Fhéile Idirnáisiúnta Ealaíon na Gaillimhe, go mbeadh deiseanna agaibh ár gcathair agus réigiún a thaiscéaladh, agus mar sin de. Ciallaíonn an bogadh ar líne nach féidir linn teacht le chéile ar an láthair, ach tá súil againn go mbeidh cuma agus cosúlacht chomhdháil de chuid na Gaillimhe ar an ócáid seo – ceann ina léireofar ár ndáimh áite, ina gcaithfear léas ar an amharclannaíocht agus ar an taighde atá á ndéanamh anseo, agus ina dtabharfar ugach daoibh cuairt a thabhairt orainn ar an láthair nuair a bheidh a leithéid sábháilte amach anseo. B’údar inspreagtha é láthair iarthar na hÉireann do na healaíontóirí siúd a d’fhorbair amharclannaíocht nua-aimseartha na hÉireann – daoine amhail William Butler Yeats, an Bhantiarna Augusta Gregory agus John Millington Synge, a bhain gaisneas as teangacha, béaloideas agus tírdhreach an réigiúin seo mar bhonn le hamharclann náisiúnta Éireannach a chruthú. Is réigiún é atá go mór i dtiúin le tionchar na tubaiste timpeallachta chomh maith: bunaíodh ár n-ollscoil sa bhliain 1845, céad bhliain na tréimhse ar a dtabharfaí an Gorta Mór idir sin agus tráthas – tubaiste ‘nádúrtha’ a laghdaigh daonra na hÉireann faoina leatha trí bhíthin an ocrais agus na himirce ollmhóire. Mar sin de, tá i gceist lenár ndámh áite an tuiscint ar an dlúthnasc timpeallachta mar údar cruthaitheachta agus léirscriosta araon – agus tá an méid seo ar cheann de na cúiseanna ar roghnaíomar téama na nÉiceolaíochtaí Amharclannaíochta, mar atá: An Timpeallacht, an Inbhuanaitheacht agus an Pholaitíocht. Nuair a rinneamar ár ngairm ar pháipéir ar dtús sa bhliain 2019, shamhlaíomar gur cuimsíodh sa téama úd go bhfeidhmíonn an amharclannaíocht mar a bheadh córas ann, mar a bheadh líonra ann lena n-áirítear an caidreamh idir na taibheoirí agus an lucht féachana, idir cruthaitheoirí amharclannaíochta agus an saol beo, agus eadrainn féin uile mar phobal idirnáisiúnta scoláirí. Thug tús na paindéime ar chainteoirí go leor aghaidh agus dearcadh nua a thabhairt ar na téamaí seo – le tionchar COVID-19 ar an amharclannaíocht agus le háitiú ar son a tábhachta leanúnaí mar fhoinse leighis, mar láthair don anailís agus don inspioráid, agus mar áit ina bhféadfar dlúthnaisc a athnuachan agus a athshamhlú. Tá súil againn go gcuirfidh imeachtaí na seachtaine seo dlús agus téagar leis na comhráite seo agus le cinn eile nach iad. Tá súil againn freisin go dtapóidh sibh an deis taitneamh a bhaint as cuid de na saothair a áirítear inár gclár sóisialta, atá ar fad cruthaithe ag ealaíontóirí gairmiúla as an taobh seo d’Éirinn. Gabhaimid buíochas ó chroí as ucht an chineáltais agus an díocais a léirigh sibh – idir an bhliain seo agus an bhliain seo caite. Agus táimid an-bhuíoch go háirithe de Jean Graham-Jones, Elaine Aston, agus Coiste Feidhmiúcháin IFTR as ucht a gcuid trusta, ugaigh agus tacaíochta. Tá súil againn go mbeidh seachtain speisialta spreagúil agaibh! Le gach dea-ghuí, Miriam Haughton, Marianne Kennedy, Patrick Lonergan, Charlotte McIvor, Ian Walsh Foireann Eagraithe Chomhdháil IFTR Gaillimh. 4 5 Marie Mullen (Druid Theatre) with NUI Galway Drama students Kate Murray and Emer McHugh ABOUT DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES AT NUI GALWAY Drama and Theatre Studies was established whom we run a Druid Academy programme is home to almost 4,000 international DRAMA AND as a department at NUI Galway in 2014, and is for training emerging theatre-makers. Other students, from 110 different countries. We part of the School of English and Creative Arts. recent alumni include the novelists Claire- have student exchange programmes with over Louise Bennett and Deirdre Sullivan. 200 international universities, and also have a The first Drama programme at NUI Galway global community of staff. was an MA in Drama and Theatre Studies, The university also has formal partnerships THEATRE STUDIES established by Adrian Frazier in 1999. In 2012, with many other theatre companies and arts Galway is home to several theatre the university launched its first formal degree organisations, including the Abbey Theatre companies and other arts organizations. in Drama: the BA in Drama, Theatre and (Ireland’s national theatre), the Gate Theatre, Chief among these is Druid Theatre, the Performance. The first Professor of Drama the Galway International Arts Festival, and internationally-acclaimed company headed AT NUI GALWAY and Theatre Studies, Patrick Lonergan, was others. by the Tony Award-winning director Garry appointed in 2013. Hynes. Every July, the city is taken over by We have particular research and teaching the Galway International Arts Festival, a In that same year, the university began work strengths in the area of Irish theatre. multidisciplinary event that features theatre, on what would become the O’Donoghue We locate the study of Irish theatre in a street performances, live music, comedy, Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, broad international context, using an Irish and much more. The city also has an annual named for Donagh O’Donoghue, a Galway perspective to explore issues of global international arts festival for children, is home businessman and the former chairman of importance. Interaction and partnership with to the national theatre for the Irish language, Druid Theatre. Donagh was instrumental in our national and international colleagues is an and is home to many smaller companies. the development of Druid and sadly passed essential feature of our teaching and research. You can find out more about this work in our away in May 2021 as we were completing entertainment programme. this programme. The O’Donoghue Centre Every year, we usually stage at least two was opened formally by President Michael D productions, as well as a series of lectures, To learn more about Drama at NUI Galway and Higgins in April 2017 public interviews with theatre practitioners, the programmes we offer, visit: https://www. international conferences, and other events.