Renaming and Rethinking Middle Eastern Theatre
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Lindsey Mantoan
Location
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Subject Area
Theatre
Description
Currently, the American stage is void of the Middle Eastern voice and body; nuanced work about specific Middle Eastern countries has little to no mass appeal due to an American misunderstanding of what the Middle East is, superimposing a false history and aesthetic upon the Middle East, and making work that is truly representative of the region unrecognizable to American audiences. To say that we need more Middle Eastern people involved in theatre is true, but not enough; the problem is the American (and global) geographical and cultural framework. As evidenced by the difference in work being produced by Iranian theatre artists, and what is accepted by America as recognizable Middle Eastern theatre, a nuanced understanding of the Middle East and its vast set of cultures, religions, races, and ethnicities is lacking, resulting in the impossibility of creating theatre about the region as a whole.
Recommended Citation
Mirashrafi, Melory, "Renaming and Rethinking Middle Eastern Theatre" (2019). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 67.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2019/all/67
Renaming and Rethinking Middle Eastern Theatre
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Currently, the American stage is void of the Middle Eastern voice and body; nuanced work about specific Middle Eastern countries has little to no mass appeal due to an American misunderstanding of what the Middle East is, superimposing a false history and aesthetic upon the Middle East, and making work that is truly representative of the region unrecognizable to American audiences. To say that we need more Middle Eastern people involved in theatre is true, but not enough; the problem is the American (and global) geographical and cultural framework. As evidenced by the difference in work being produced by Iranian theatre artists, and what is accepted by America as recognizable Middle Eastern theatre, a nuanced understanding of the Middle East and its vast set of cultures, religions, races, and ethnicities is lacking, resulting in the impossibility of creating theatre about the region as a whole.
