CONTENTS

 

Gilly Adams (Wales) - THAT'S NOT IT!

Maria Pia Battaglia (Italy) - STORIES FROM SILENCE

Elizabeth Montagu (Britain) - A SPY'S COVER

Verena Tay (Singapore) - THREE VIEWS

Netta Plotzki (Israel) - THE WONDERLAND OF BUTOH

Elizabeth M. Mongoma (Zimbabwe/Denmark) - MEMORIES FIND THEIR WAY

Gemma Moses (Wales) - DAZED AND CONFUSED

Joanna Sherman (USA) - TIGERS ON A TIGHTROPE

Graciela Ferrari (Argentina) - THE ARCH OF TIME

Leo Sykes (Britain/Brazil) - TRYING TO BE BORN

Julia Varley (Britain/Denmark) - QUESTIONS OF TIME

Magdalena Pietruska (Poland/Sweden) - MY WORK ON MYSELF AS A PEDAGOGUE

Roberta Carreri (Italy/Denmark) - LEARNING FROM TEACHING

Geddy Aniksdal (Norway) - SWEET PAIN

Cristina Castrillo (Argentina/Switzerland) - STRAY DOGS

Ely Schulz (Chile) - WHO IS TO BLAME?

Ni Wayan Sudi (Bali) - KEEPING AN ANCIENT TRADITION ALIVE

Karolina Spaic (Yugoslavia/The Netherlands) - QUESTIONING THE INVISIBLE

Lilicherie McGregor (New Zealand) - TE KORE

Ana Correa (Peru) - YUYACHKANI, A GROUP EXPERIENCE

Anne-Sophie Erichsen (Denmark/Norway) - WITHIN THE WALLS OF OUR THEATRE

Dulcinea Langfelder (USA/Canada) - THE LITTLE SISTER

Nara Mansur (Cuba) - WITHOUT GENERATION?

Christel Weiler (Germany) - GENERATIONS OF SMILES AND LAUGHTER

Roxana Avila (Costa Rica) - TO KNOW AND KNOW NOTHING AT ALL

Maria Ficara (Italy) - FILLING AN EMPTY THEATRE

Adelaide de Oliveira (Brazil) - PANACÉIA

The Open Page - MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

A. Golaj (Poland), A. Aniksdal (Norway), M. Erichsen (Norway) - FIRST STEPS

Line and Guro Anna Wyller (Norway) - RIGHT NOW!

Carran and Mary Waterfield (Britain) - LOOKING FOR THE TALLYMAN

Mik Ok Park and Kim Dae Rye (South Korea) - A FAMILY HERITAGE

Sue Gill and Hannah Fox (Britain) - GENERATIONS

Sandra Pasini (Italy/Denmark) - THE SECRET WE HAVE IN COMMON

The Open Page - OPEN LETTERS

The Open Page - OPEN NEWS

 

 

EDITORIAL

 

We were looking for a word that encompassed different strategies for the passing on of theatre knowledge. We wanted a word that contained the complexities of the independent auto-didactic reality as well as those of the master/pupil relationship; the practice of workshops and training as well as traditional western schooling; the transmission of a craft through apprenticeship as well as the absence of such reference points. We came upon the word generation. Compulsory schooling, the need to earn a living, the demand to produce quick results and the artistic process of live performance being taken over by mass events and television - all of these factors are influencing both the way in which theatre is generated and the different generations of theatre practitioners. Generation is also the creation of scenic material and performances.

Generation can be looked upon as belonging to different ages or theatre traditions. It could also be seen as the difference between the ones born into a professional family, those who chose a family to be adopted by, and the "orphans". The great Indian dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi complained that she could no longer find young people who showed her same commitment. In the USA theatre professors in universities cannot develop challenging training programmes because they are not allowed to extend their teaching hours. In Europe, students challenge authoritarianism and theatre schools ask themselves what kind of job they must prepare their pupils for. In Japan some of the most famous families of classical forms are no longer able to attract young apprentices. In Latin America collective creation, which originated from a search for autonomous identity, is now confronted by a completely different political reality. All over the world young people are desperate to learn and to put their learning into practice. Women especially look for references corresponding to their own needs which theatre history does not offer.

 

There is lightness in this issue of The Open Page. Having a life in front of you, or the recognition of the right to still be learning even later in life, are reasons for optimism. Connection to the social and historical context seems to be less present in the articles, because the individual quest, the personal process of growing - be it teaching or learning or both - is central. Generation is seen as a lifetime of growing. For the younger generation it is not so important to discuss gender in relation to the theme; other women have conquered the right for them to ignore that. But still it must be noted that the archetypal image of a master remains masculine and, although many women are recognised teachers in theatre, still the prevailing master talked about in the articles is male. Maybe women do not want to be called masters and are in search of alternatives.

 

Many articles place generation within a context: a network, a group, a whole life, a master or even photography. The main focus is on the pedagogical process and a section entitled Mothers and Daughters includes some very young authors. The younger generation appears exclusive and sure, as every generation has before. We discover generations within a generation and that things other than age form generations. The question for all is how to find your own way while learning from each other.

 

Julia Varley

Holstebro, March 2000