Immersive theater calls upon audience members to become participants, actors and "others." It traditionally offers binary roles--that of oppressor or that of victim--and thereby stands the risk of simplifying complex social situations.
Challenging such binaries, this book articulates theatrical "grey zones" when addressing juvenile detention, wartime interventions and immigration processes. It presents scripts and strategies for directors and playwrights who want to create theatrical environments that are immersive and pedagogical; aesthetically evocative and politically provocative; simple and complex.
?Table of Contents
Introduction1
Detention29
Prelude 29
Scripting Detention 42
Interlude 69
War91
Prelude 91
Scripting War 101
Interlude 134
Immigration156
Prelude 156
Scripting Immigration 167
Interlude 191
Conclusions211
Notes237
Bibliography239
Index243
Nandita Dinesh teaches theater arts, literature and performance, and oversees the juvenile justice programming at the United World College in New Mexico.
