Call–response: Migration as Metaphor in Theatre

Abstract

This article is an attempt to describe the amorphous nature of what is termed Asian theatre in England. It is not an exhaustive study of categories and statistics. It is about generating paradigms to understand the diverse Asiannesses in England that share a migratory flight path of postcoloniality and itinerant integration. Yet, these collective experiences also reveal a visible lack of signposts. To illustrate this diversity within the issue of diversity as a subaltern study that has not entirely been taken up by funders or venue programmers, I provide a brief discussion of Vayu Naidu Company's practice and positioning of storytelling theatre. This theatre is inspired by and founded on storytelling derived from the oral imagination and performance oral traditions. While the axis of the dramatisation revolves around exploration with form – that is, narrative and physical ensemble work in storytelling – it is also about creating an interface with content that addresses postcoloniality and diaspora interculturally.