Description
Book SynopsisThe power of theatrical performance is universal, but the style and concerns of theatre are specific to individual cultures. This volume in the
Global Theatre Perspectives series presents a reconstructed ancient performance text, four one-act indigenous African plays and five modern dramas from various regions of Africa and the Caribbean Diaspora. Because these plays span centuries and are the work of artists from diverse cultures, readers can see elements that occur across time and space. Physicalized ritual, direct interaction with spectators, improvisation, music, drumming, and metaphorical animal characters help create the theatrical forms in multiple plays. Recurring themes include the establishment or challenging of political authority, the oppression or corruption of government, societal expectations based on gender, the complex and transformational nature of identity, and the power of dreams. Though each play is its own unique entity, reading them together allows readers
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction
The Triumph of Horus translated and edited by H. W. Fairman “Masque of the Boa-Constrictor,” a Yoruba masquerade
Oba Ko`so (The King did not hang) by Duro Ladipo
Fabula: Yawreoch Commedia “The Comedy of Animals” by Tekle Hawariat “When the Hunchback Made Rain” by Elvania Namukwaya Zirimu
Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka
Anowa by Ama Ata Aidoo
Sizwe Banzi is Dead devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona
Dream on Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott
Couvade by Michael Gilkes Further Reading
