Annotated Bibliography
The child in the basement: Hotel Lockdown and the politics of empathy
By Nicole Ostini
Akerholt, M-B 1988, Patrick White, Rodopi.
Akerholt looks at how White’s first four plays, performed between 1961-1965, were
instrumental in changing the directions of Australian theatre. This book presents an
overview of Patrick White's life and work, as well as a critical analysis of his plays including A
Cheery Soul in chapter three. In this chapter White’s use of satire as a peircing tool for self
reflection is discussed.
Boochani, B 2018, No Friend But the Mountains, Picador Pan MacMillan Australia
Interestingly Boochani describes his book as “a playscript for a theatre performance that
incorporates myth and folklore; religiosity and secularity; coloniality and militarism; torture
and borders.” It was laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone in a series of single
messages. Boochani’s translator Omid Tofighian spoke of the immense task and “unique
philosophical inquiries” that developed due to the conditions the book was written and the
relationship between writer, translator and consultants. The purpose of the book was “to
convey a truthful first-hand experience” regardless of the multiple translations and human
resources that brought it to completion. There is an understanding that truth is not
sidelined by fable or myth but rather a working vessel for deeper understandings that would
otherwise remain distanced from the reader.
Budurlean, A 2009, Otherness in the Novels of Patrick White, Peter Lang.
The central argument of the thesis, is the representation and reception of otherness,
followed throughout White's novels. It is argued that Otherness in its manifold
representations is a main component of Patrick White's fiction functioning on several levels
and that this requires a deeper entanglement on the part of the reader. The different levels
previously referred to are embodied in the various Others who people White's novels:
ethnic Others as members of the Australian multicultural society and the Aborigines as
colonial Others, as well as gender Others, who also play an important role in White's
fictional world. It shows how reading Patrick White is an exercise in tolerance, endurance
and acceptance of alternatives showing how the efforts of the reader do not remain
unrewarded.
Burnside, J 2016, 'Indefinite Disinformation: The Political Capital of Fear'.
In 2016 the Australian Barrister Julian Burnside AO QC spoke of the misinformation used by
politicians as “Overcoming Empathy”. He saw a similar plight in the suffering of the refugee
and Australia’s political rhetoric in providing an alternative to the harsh exposure and moral
dilemma of exposing its citizens to its own child in the basement. Instead, he argues we are
eased into our positions of apathy by a process of numbing that takes away individual decision
making and responsibility and objectifies the refugee.
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Chou, M, Gagnon, J-P & Pruitt, L 2015, 'Putting participation on stage: examining
participatory theatre as an alternative site for political participation', Policy Studies, vol.
36.
Chou, Gagnon, and Pruitt discuss how participatory theatre can be an alternative site for
political participation citing participation as “a central lynchpin of citizenship and democracy”.
They also explore Journey of Asylum-Waiting to show how a spectator-based theatre set with
a communal background can create a more active political community.
Cox, E 2013, Staging Asylum, Currency Press, Strawberry Hills.
Dr Emma Cox researches the representation and participation of refugees and asylum seekers
in contemporary theatre. This anthology is a collection of six contemporary Australian plays
that portray a range of perspectives and narratives on asylum seekers. The eclectic collection
provides an array of styles including ironic verbatim, surrealistic domestic satire, farce,
vignettes and autobiographical plays. Edited by Cox, who recognises the crucial role theatre
plays in one of Australia’s most urgent, contemporary and divisive issues.
The plays include:
Journey of Asylum-Waiting (2010) devised by Catherine Simmonds & ASRC
Vignettes. Use of audience participation as this production was as much about
processes of creativity, skills development, confidence, friendship and community as
it was about theatrical product.
CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident 2004) by Sydney Performance Collective
Ironic Verbatim text that tackles the problems associated with problems dealing with
remembering, recording and speaking within Verbatim’s reliance on transcribed
testimonies.
The Rainbow Dark (2006) by Victoria Carless
A domestic surrealist satire reveals more about Australia and Australians than it does
about asylum seekers.
The Pacific Solution (2006) by Ben Eltham
Dark satire on Australia’s notorious excision legislation- a cornerstone of the ‘Solution’
from which the play takes its name.
Halal-el-Mashakel (2003) by Linda Jaivin
Duologue with music. Presents a portrait of the psychological damage done by
indefinite detention, particularly of young people.
Nothing But Nothing (2005) by Towfiq Al-Quady
His raw emotional exposure serves to remind us that irony may be a luxury when it
comes to the portrayal of traumatic histories.
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Cummings, L 2016, Empathy As Dialogue In Theatre And Performance, Palgrave
Macmillan.
Cummings looks at how the dynamic potential of empathy can be overlooked by theatre
practitioners and scholars as they focus on its more “monologic” forms. Forms in which
spectators either project their point of view onto characters or passively identify with them.
She explores how empathy is most effective when it functions as a dialogue, along with how
theatre and performance can utilise the live exchange between bodies in space to encourage
more dynamic, dialogic encounters between performers and audience.
Dennis, R 2008, 'Refugee Performance: Aesthetic Representation and Accountability in
Playback Theatre', Research in Drama Education vol. 13 (2):211-215.
Dennis draws our attention to an inescapable paradox when she offers a careful analysis of
how conflicting discourses are at play in the context of a playback theatre project
with refugee and asylum seekers in Brisbane, Australia. Though the playback theatre event
sought to “enact a form of inclusive democracy,” in doing so it also highlighted the
undeniable presence and impact of power even within the playback form.
Garner, S 2018, 'Empathy and Otherness. In:Kinesthetic Spectatorship in the Theatre.
Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance', in Palgrave Macmillan.
This chapter “Empathy and Otherness” examines the phenomenon of empathy from the
point of view of sensorimotor and kinaesthetic experience. It begins by considering the
components of empathy and looking at cognitive and phenomenological definitions of
empathy. Drawing on Emmanuel Levinas’s Infinity and Totality, it considers the place of
alterity in empathic interactions and what it means for spectators and actors to navigate
otherness and difference empathically. The chapter concludes by addressing the issue of
actors performing characters from different identity communities, including the
controversial practice of non-disabled actors taking on disabled roles.
Gordon, M 2011, Theatre and the Mind, Oberon Books, London, England.
In this collection of seven provocative essays, acclaimed theatre director and playwright
Mick Gordon argues that the theatre represents a physical manifestation of the invisible
workings of our minds. In his introduction Mick Gordon argues that “[t]heater offers us a
safe thinking space” where we can “experience and consider alternative stories and
behaviours” in a live environment (pp. 13-14).
Jeffers, A 2016, 'Applied Theatre: Resettlement, Drama, Refugees and Resilience: NTQ',
New Theatre Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 198-9.
This book details three case studies that the authors executed in
Logan City, Australia, between 2007 and 2012. It is a practitioner-oriented perspective in
which authors reflect on their own experience of producing performance with and about
refugees. It is a conversation about research methods and the lived experiences of the
refugees at the center of the work. It offers practitioners a series of best practices
developed through trial and error as well as significant questions to consider. The book
argues early on for a departure from the typical focus on traumatic personal narratives,
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which comprise a large majority of representations of refugees in performance and beyond,
and instead champions refugee stories that prioritize community building and skills
acquisition.
Jeffreys, S 2019, Playwriting: Structure, Character, How and What to Write, Nick Hern
Books, L Vergne.
A practical book, Jeffreys reveals the various invisible frameworks and mechanisms that are
at the heart of each and every successful play. Drawing on a huge range of sources, it
deconstructs playwriting into its parts, including: Structure—an in-depth exploration of the
fundamental elements of drama, enabling you to choose instinctively the most effective
structure for your play Character—advice on how to generate and write credible characters
by exploring their three essential dimensions: story, breadth, and depth How to Write—
techniques for writing great dialogue, dynamic scenes, and compelling subtext, including
how to improve your writing by approaching it from unfamiliar directions What to Write—
how to adopt different approaches to finding your material and an exploration of the
fundamental “Nine Stories,” plus how to evaluate the potential of your ideas.
Le Guin, U 1997, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, Creative Education, Inc.
A short allegorical story depicting a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, whose
prosperity depends on the perpetual suffering of a single child. Each citizen at the age of seven
is exposed to this horrible truth and must make a choice to either stay in Utopia by
‘overcoming their empathy’ towards the child or to leave the comforts of the city. If they stay
guilt is eradicated and its citizens free to live in a state of bliss as the original inhabitants of
the garden of Eden. One child suffers so the rest may live in bliss.
Marschall, A 2018, 'What Can Theatre Do about the Refugee Crisis? Enacting Commitment
and Navigating Complicity in Performative Interventions', Research in Drama Education,
vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 148-66.
This article argues that in a society transformed by an increasing bureaucratic nexus of
migration, artistic responses to political crises are particularly effective when working with
institutions. Dwelling at the intersection between performance and institutions, this
intervention combines refugee accommodation with a tourist hotel and artist studios.
Ultimately, the article outlines the role of commitment in the intervention, which stands as
the desired model for emerging art practices that permeate the boundaries of institutional
policy, performance art and social fields.
McAvinchey, C 2012, 'Refugees, Theatre, and Crisis: Performing Global Identities: NTQ',
New Theatre Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 399-400.
McAvinchey explores how the bureaucratic performances demanded of refugees to give a
convincing performance of a persuasive story is in dialogue with verbatim and documentary
plays which borrow these narratives to inform and evoke empathy in their audience. It looks
at large-scale internationally toured works about refugees, such as how Theatre du Soleil’s
Le Dernier Caravansrail, speaks to participatory theatre practices with refugees.
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Neipris, J 2017, “Sixty questions to ask when writing a dramatic piece,” A masterclass in
dramatic writing: Theatre, film and television, Taylor & Francis.
A Masterclass in Dramatic Writing addresses all three genres of dramatic writing- for theatre,
film and TV- in a comprehensive masterclass for the dramatic writer. The writer is guided
through a step-by-step process to the completion of a first draft and a rewrite.
Oberg, C 2008, 'Performance Ethnography: Scholarly inquiry in the here and now',
Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, vol. 2.
Oberg explores how performance ethnography is concerned with the ‘here and now’ and
the potential for engagement and transformation for all involved including artists,
participants and audience. In particular, the opportunity to enhance dignity and democratic
values by exploring social practice in a forum for cultural exchange through such things as
verbatim ‘tellings’ and re-enacted performative processes such as embodied explorations.
Performance ethnography is suggested to act as a social conscience and a tool for liberation.
Valentine, A 2018, Bowerbird: The Art of Making Theatre Drawn From Life, Currency
Press.
Alana Valentine is often labelled as a verbatim playwright; however, she has consistently
pushed the boundaries of the form to find deeper truths and create what she describes as
‘close work theatre’. In Bowerbird she brings her know-how to the page combining stories
from her life with observations from her experience. She talks about the hunger that drives
artists, the importance of listening, the way to develop and sustain relationships with a
particular community, different interview techniques, as well as how to navigate the path
between artistic integrity and community relationships. She shares moments from her life
and reflects on how they underpin her plays and her writing process.
Wehle, P 2005, 'Théâtre du Soleil: Dramatic Response to the Global Refugee Crisis', PAJ: A
Journal of Performance and Art, vol. Vol. 27, No. 2 pp. 80-6
Philippa argues that in our century, human displacement has become one of our most
urgent concerns. She describes it as a global crisis that begs to be addressed on all fronts. In
particular, the theatre should be an arena where such social and political issues can be
heard. She asks whether theatre can successfully shed light on such a complicated situation
as the refugee crisis and bring new understanding of its complexities? Peter Sellars is
suggested as one theatre practitioner, who, believes adamantly that this is the very function
of theatre: to provide a forum where the most challenging issues of the day can be
discussed in their true complexity. He is not alone, as recently there has been a resurgence
among artists who have responded to the refugee crisis through their theatre pieces.
White, P 2001, A cheery soul / Patrick White, Currency Press, Sydney.
Patrick White’s play combines a satirical view of Australian society with an expressionistic
form, poetic language and hilarious, grotesque and familiar characters. A Cheery Soul is a
satirical look at the mores of Australian Christian society in the 1950s. It was described by
White as being concerned with “the destructive power of good”. A lonely do-gooder, Miss
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Docker, is taken in by a well-meaning couple with the best of intentions when she is left
homeless, but the situation does not work out. She moves into a home for the aged, where
she is met with a mixed reaction and continues her path of destructive good will. At times
criticised as showing a bitter scorn for the society in which he lived, White’s biting Satire has
at its heart a more stirring purpose in allowing a safe place for Australians to self-reflect and
become aware of unconscious behaviours that inhibit self-development.
Whitlock, G 2020, 'Watching Refugees: A Pacific Theatre of Documentary', Journal of the
Association for the Study of Australian Literature : JASAL, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 1-15.
Inspired by Robert Dixon's volumes on visual culture, colonial modernity and the Pacific, this
article argues for a distinctive refugee imaginary in media witnessing
and documentary cinema in the South, focussing on Eva Orner's Chasing Asylum and two
documentaries by Behrouz Boochani including Chauka.
Wilkenson, L & Anderson, M 2007, A resurgence of Verbatim Theatre: authenticity,
empathy and transformation, Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and
Performance Studies (ADSA).
Anderson and Wilkinson discuss the resurgence and evolution of the Verbatim Theatre both
nationally and internationally and how the demand for specificity in subject matter and a
variety of perspectives in its presentation has re-invigorated the Verbatim Theatre form and
expanded its application. They look at how Version 1.0's A Certain Maritime Incident and
Wages of Spin juxtapose actual media coverage and verbatim political speeches with horrific
images and records of marginalised debate to tell the plays' stories. They argue that the
main reason for its resurgence lies more in the community's need to hear diverse and
authentic voices, to be presented with multiple voices and perspectives, to be informed,
engaged and transformed.
Wohl, D 2014, 'Site Specific Theatre', Southern Theatre, vol. 54.28.
Wohl discusses the emergence and popularity of Site-Specific Theatre where a venue
outside a traditional theatre space closely ties to the form and function of the play itself. He
discusses the possibility of attracting new audiences not often found in traditional spaces
and the possibility of creating a deeper level of empathy and understanding between
performer and spectator though site specific spaces.
Zarrilli, P 2019, (toward) a phenemology of acting, Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Zarrilli, describes how Phenomenology invites us to listen to "the things themselves", to be
attentive to how we sensorially, kinesthetically, and affectively engage with acting as a
phenomenon and process. Using detailed first-person accounts of acting across a variety of
dramaturgies and performances from Beckett to newly co-created performances to realism,
it provides an account of how we ‘do’ or practice phenomenology when training,
performing, directing, or teaching.
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