“I don’t know why I cried, but I did.” Diversity and the Dramaturgy of Impact in Australian Theatre for Young People

• Published in: Critical stages (Paris) no. 28
• Main Authors: Rae, Paul, Trott, Abbie Victoria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; French
• Published: Thessaloniki International Association of Theater Critics 01-12-2023
• Subjects: Audiences; Dramaturges; Dramaturgy; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Reception (Artistic works); Theater; Workshops
• ISSN: 2409-7411; 2409-7411

In this paper, we use Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Rashma M. Kalsie’s 2017 play Melbourne Talam as a case study to explain where and how a dramaturgical sensibility can be identified as arcing across the lifespan of a theatrical event, from production, through performance, to reception. In taking a whole-of-process perspective that turns on the question of what participants thought was “impactful” in the production as it variously emerged in rehearsal discussions, materialised in actors’ performances, and was recollected by youth audience members several months later, we argue that the immanent dramaturgy of the work was disclosed, and that this speaks to the nature of migrant experience in contemporary Australia.