posted by Anita Kerzmann
categories: Spotlight

There are differenct ideas of what a classical topic might be. Film still from "Romeo and Juliet" by Baz Luhrmann, 2006.

In our first spotlight in August 2010, Petra Kohse reported on multilingualism on stage and examined how theatres chose to convey it. In this next spotlight, I’d like to look at what exactly is being conveyed (or not) in those surtitles, subtitles, paraphrases and simultaneous translations. Which topics of mutual interest have the theatres in the Wanderlust Fund chosen for their co-productions? Are the themes global or rather local in scope? Does their intercultural experience, which they’ve gained behind the scenes, also “play a role” on stage? Do they revert to classical pieces as a foil to examine cultural differences? Do they commission playwrights or do they, the actors, dramaturges and directors, develop their own material from research and improvisation? Which forms are over- or underrepresented in comparison to the theatres’ regular programmes?


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