PEP Talk on 17 February 2016: Papers on Théâtre du Soleil & Kidzania

Performance. Experience. Presence.

You are warmly invited to attend the next in our series of P.E.P Talks, Plymouth University’s Theatre, Dance & Performance research seminar series.

Wednesday 17 February 2016
 16.30 – 18.00pm, RLB 309

The seminar will feature the following two papers:

Jonathan Cripps: 

“Locating the Sun Gods: Examining the role of mythic storytelling at the Théâtre du Soleil”

Taking Christopher Innes’ premise that “What links the works of Strindberg, Artaud, Brook and Mnouchkine is an idealisation of the elemental and a desire to find ritual in archaic traditions” (1993), this paper examines the role of mythology in situating the productions of Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil in the theatrical avant-garde. This paper questions to what extent the provision of mythical and ritualistic performance aesthetics and rehearsal processes aid the intentions of a primarily political theatre company, and seeks to understand how the spiritual journey of an actor at the Soleil is conflated with a sense of social purpose. In doing so, this paper tacitly questions the adequacy of the mantle ‘avant-garde’ to describe the breadth of function found in the work of the Soleil.

 

Dr Victor M. Ramirez Ladron de Guevara: 

“Kidzania: Global play in the construction of National Identities”

This paper opens up conversations around cultural play and the potential impact this might have upon the building of national identity. The primary focus of the paper will be the multi-national play brand Kidzania, with some consideration of other cultural product in the formation of selfhood. Drawing upon examples that package ‘Mexican-ness’ as something both desirable and frightening, this paper will consider the potential for Kidzania to offer ‘aspirational’ narratives through play. Founded by Mexican entrepreneur Xavier Lopez Ancona, Kidzania is a play experience modelled on commercial enterprise in which children are ‘paid’ for their labour. As Kidzania is now a global enterprise (with branches in 18 different countries) the present paper argues that the notion of play itself has been ‘outsourced.’ Yet, this paper will attempt to look past the immediate concerns raised by the commercialisation of play, in an attempt to interrogate the role of global play in national identity formations.

 

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