Theatre and War: Notes from the Field

Nandita Dinesh places Kiplings six honest serving-men (who what when where why how) in productive conversation with her own experiences in conflict zones across the world to offer a theoretical and practical reflection on making theatre in times of war. This timely and important book weaves together Dineshs personal narrative with the public story of modern conflict illustrating as it does the importance of theatre as a force for ethical deliberation and social justice. In it Dinesh asks how theatre might intervene in times and places of conflict and how we might reflect on such interventions. In pursuit of answers Theatre and War adopts the methods of auto-ethnography positioning the theatrical practitioner at the heart of conflict zones in northern Uganda Guatemala Northern Ireland Mexico Rwanda Kenya Nagaland and Kashmir. No longer a detached observer the researcher and practitioner has to be able to meld theory with practice; to speak to doing without undervaluing the importance of thinking about doing. Each chapter approaches the need for a synthesis of theory and practice by way of a term of inquiry―Why Where Who What When―and each is equipped with a set of unflinchingly honest field notes that are designed to reveal some of the hows from the authors own repertoire: questions and issues that were encountered during her own theatrical undertakings along with first hand reflection on the complexities potential and challenges that attended her global work in community theatre. Within these notes are strategies that give the reader a practical insight into how the discussion might find its footing on the ground of war. The range and scope of this book make it required reading for those interested in theatre―practitioners researchers and students alike-as well as those seeking to understand the applications of the arts for ethics politics and education.