English 9225
Indigenous Theatre and Performance Studies
Instructor: Professor Pauline Wakeham
Summer 2024 Full Course Equivalent.
This course will provide students with a graduate-level introduction to the dynamic work of Indigenous performance arts. Our course will consider how Indigenous theatre and performance build upon rich histories and practices of embodied oral storytelling specific to distinct Indigenous nations across Turtle Island (North America). Drawing upon these rich histories and traditions, contemporary Indigenous artists often reinvent them in new forms including drama and other forms of live performance. Engaging with a range of performance works and Indigenous performance theory created over the past several decades, this course will provide an understanding of the development of Indigenous theatre and performance across the lands claimed by Canada and will consider Indigenous performance art’s vital role in addressing contemporary socio-political issues and contributing to Indigenous resurgence. In so doing, we will also reflect upon the role of theatre and performance audiences and the importance of self-reflexivity and positionality in engaging with Indigenous arts.
