Earlier in June I blogged about Can We Talk About This?, DV8’s latest work looking at Multiculturalism, Islam and freedom of speech. What I hadn’t picked up on at the time were the debates that were going on surrounding the piece and that, in some quarters, it was being vilified as naive and lacking balance.
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I suppose the question for me is does it need balance? Merely by provoking the furore it has, doesn’t that mean it has done what Lloyd Newson, it’s creator, set out to do – start a debate? Can a piece of polemic be classed as political theatre? Brecht would, of course, have said no – it should have balance and represent both sides of the argument. On the other hand, perhaps saying publically, albeit through dance theatre, what others are scared to talk about is the correct thing to do.
Linked here are a series of three articles from Exeunt Magazine. Have a read, I’d like to know what you think:
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And finally an interview with Newson entitled Dancing Around Islam
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Theatre Room Asia 