Postmarginal in Critical Stages / Scènes Critiques

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A new academic article on the work of Postmarginal has just been published in the online journal, Critical Stages / Scènes Critiques, the theatre journal of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC). Critical Stages / Scènes Critiques “offers a platform for debate and exploration of a wide range of theatre and performance art manifestations from all over the world,” featuring articles on a wide variety of topics in the theatre, in particular the work taking place in marginalized spaces.

Written by Modern Times’ co-artistic director, Peter Farbridge and entitled “The Spiritual Reformation of Theatrical Practice: the Interculturality of Modern Times Stage Company”, the article examines postmarginality within the case study of Modern Times. The exploration took place during a workshop of Bahram Beyza’ie’s Aurash, tentatively slated for production in Montreal in 2021. The workshop participants were Maya Kuroki, Amir Sám Nakhjavani, Laura Gallo Tapias, Ligia Borges, Benita Jacques, Soheil Parsa, and Roxanne de Bruyn.

By examining the rehearsal strategies of Modern Times Stage Company, this article explores the rehearsal communication that allows for interweaving of cultures within the complex social relationships of a multiethnic theatre rehearsal process. The main focus was on how different histories and experiences of a cast of different cultural backgrounds position the artists in relation to each other in Modern Times’ intercultural theatre practices.

The Postmarginal project (postmarginal.com) progresses in three streams: experiential learning retreats that examine the rehearsal conditions which facilitate intercultural exchanges between people of different abilities, gender identities and ethnocultural backgrounds; practitioner workshops that explore the techniques of working across these cultures; and academic and practitioner exchanges to discuss the context and parameters of postmarginality. 

Postmarginal’s next edition is a third retreat, this time in Edmonton, led by local hosts the Walterdale TheatreCitadel Theatre and Theatre Alberta. Event design meetings are currently taking place with local artists and theatre practitioners in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. The project has been put on hold for the time being, and will take place as soon as health conditions permit. 

Please follow this link for the article.