Worldmaking on Stage

As texts, writers, performers, audiences, directors and theatres cross borders more easily than ever before, our theatre cultures are enriched by an unprecedented opportunity for international creative exchange. But in an Anglophone theatre context, where translated theatre is still in the minority, where does the translator fit within the theatre-making process? How might a director or actor approach a translated text, when the translator’s role is less well defined within the established conventions of theatre production than that of the writer or the actor? In this most collaborative of all art forms, how best can the translator collaborate with theatre colleagues – and, just as importantly, vice versa?

Out of the Wings will dedicate a whole day to workshops and discussions on the practice of theatre in translation.

Worldmaking on Stage. Working with the Translated Play

This in an opportunity to participate in a workshop on directing a play in translation, led by Catherine Boyle, Sue Dunderdale and Karen Morash of Head for Heights Theatre. The Workshop will be based on the development of the play Spider Girls (Las niñas arañas, 2008) by Chilean dramatist Luis Barrales. We will explore the processes for developing an English version of Spider Girls, which tells the true story of a teenage gang of girls from a shanty town in Santiago who became infamous cat burglars, scaling high-rise buildings to steal the material goods and lifestyles of the wealthy. Using our methodologies for translation and practical work, we will work on the text with members of the workshop, allowing participants to experience the process of developing a version for the stage. All participants will be encouraged to participate both in the discussions and in the practical work.

Worldmaking on Stage. Creating the Translated Text

In this session, the translators of the five plays read during the week—Almiro Andrade, William Gregory, Gwen MacKeith, Sophie Stevens and Mary Ann Vargas—will discuss the process of producing the translated text for the rehearsal room. We will discuss with the audience matters of play choice, the creation of the dramatic language for a particular piece, the placing of the play within the receiving culture, and the viability of the translated play within the target-language’s theatrical landscape, both artistically and commercially. And, fresh from the readings, they will consider the experience of sharing their translations with actors, directors, writers and audiences.

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