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Intercultural Toronto
Performing the Intercultural City. U of Michigan P us $29.95
In the preface to Performing the Intercultural City, Ric Knowles alludes to the decadelong process of "building relationships, negotiating, and engaging in research that was necessarily more collaborative . . . than had previously been my scholarly habit." His extensive research into intercultural theatre's complexity has resulted in a compelling, accessible book. The playwrights, actors, and creators featured in these pages are represented as highly critical and creative beings pushing against staid forms and narratives.
The book is divided into three main parts: "Contexts," "Dramaturgies," and "Mediations." Each chapter features specific artists, their shows, and various companies with whom the author has collaborated, principally as a dramaturge. Chapter One recalls Knowles' other works, "Ethnic," Multicultural, and Intercultural Theatre (co-edited with Ingrid Mundel, 2009), and theatre & interculturalism (2010), laying bare the theoretical foundation of his field. Chapter Two explores dramatic works with strong feminine content and perspectives, namely Anita Majumdar's Fish Eyes-the solo show integrates the mudras and vocabulary from Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi dances-in addition to Catherine Hernandez's...