Exploring the intersection of immersive theatre and performance, this text synthesizes insights from Dinesh's earlier works. It delves into the dynamics of space, relationships, and the concept of time within immersive experiences, offering a unique perspective on what immersive theatre accomplishes. Through a creative lens, it invites readers to reflect on the transformative power of performance art.
The project investigates how existing relationships among actors, spectators, and performance spaces influence immersive theatre's effectiveness in achieving educational and socio-political goals. Building on previous research, it explores the dynamics of immersive theatrical aesthetics within a theatre lab context, aiming to enhance understanding of their impact on audience engagement and interaction in performance settings.
A Project in Theater and Autoethnography with Incarcerated Teens
Focusing on a theater project for incarcerated youth, the book includes the script of a play about prison life, complemented by the author's autoethnographic reflections. It explores the collaborative process of writing and staging the play, highlighting the social and political issues within the criminal justice system. The narrative also delves into the challenges of fostering engagement between juveniles and mentors from diverse backgrounds, offering insights into the transformative power of creative expression in a detention setting.
Focusing on the creation of theatre in conflict zones, the author reflects on her experiences and projects while also theorizing useful strategies for fellow practitioner-researchers. In this sequel, she explores the same themes of theatre and war but approaches them from a distance, offering insights from outside the field while remaining deeply connected to its impact. This unique perspective enriches the discourse on the intersection of art and conflict, providing valuable notes for those engaged in similar endeavors.
Focusing on the act of witnessing, this book explores the challenges and responsibilities of authors writing about experiences they did not personally witness. It delves into the complex identity politics shaping contemporary writing classrooms, prompting discussions about representation and authenticity. Through this lens, the text invites readers to consider the implications of writing across diverse experiences and the ethical dimensions involved in such creative endeavors.
The significance of performative writing is explored through the collaborative relationship between the author and readers, who become co-creators in the meaning-making process. This book emphasizes how such interactions can enhance the impact and understanding of the text, highlighting the dynamic nature of literary engagement.
Focusing on the impact of duration in immersive theatre, this practice-based research project builds on previous findings to explore how immersive theatrical aesthetics can serve educational and socio-political goals. As the third installment in a series of experiments conducted in Dinesh's theatre laboratory, it delves into the unique dynamics of time within immersive experiences, offering insights into their effectiveness and transformative potential in engaging audiences.
Exploring the interplay between theatre and conflict, the author integrates personal experiences from various war-torn regions with theoretical insights. Through auto-ethnography, she examines how theatre can serve as a tool for ethical reflection and social justice in times of crisis. Each chapter focuses on key inquiries—why, where, who, what, when—accompanied by candid field notes that reveal the complexities and challenges of her work in community theatre. This book is essential for practitioners, researchers, and students interested in the arts' role in ethics and politics.
What does immersive theatre 'do'?By contrasting two specific performances on the same theme - one an 'immersive' experience and the other a more conventional theatrical production - Nandita Dinesh explores the different ways in which theatrical form impacts upon actors and audiences. An in-depth case study of her w
An impassioned and inventive debut novel about two people earnestly searching for a way to preserve their friendship across seemingly insurmountable political divides... IN A NAMELESS COUNTRY under military occupation, two friends prepare to attend a wedding. The young man is from the occupied region (“This Place”), the woman is from the occupying nation-state (“That Place”). The complicated relationship between these two protagonists with unusual professions—he is a Protest Designer and she is a De-programmer—is tested when, on the eve of the wedding, the occupying power, That Place, formally annexes This Place and declares a curfew. Suddenly finding themselves confined to the same isolated space, the young woman and man try to kill time but inevitably wind up talking about the ways in which the war between their homelands pervades the unexplored and undeniable attraction between them. Will their relationship become another casualty of war? This Place | That Place is an evocative debut that functions as a bold allegory for militarized occupations anywhere. As much a visual read as it is a literary one, this brilliant literary debut provides new ways to think about the intersections between the personal and the political; between occupier and occupied; between the kinds of bonds that endure, and those that have no choice but to fracture.