Dub poetry and theatre in conversation: the development of a performance-driven aesthetic

Abstract

In the history of dub poetry, the relation between theatre and poetry is undeniable. The majority of the dub poets have theatrical training and have experimented with staging texts. Jean ‘Binta' Breeze, Oku Onuora, Mutabaruka, and Michael Smith, to name just a few, studied at the Jamaican School of Drama. Their training helped them to develop a style of performance that is highly expressive. Through the close reading of Micheal Smith's poem, ‘Trainer', this article argues that both the text and the performance of this text display artistic characteristics that are the result of a creative dialogue between theatre and poetry. Discussed under the coined term ‘a performance-driven aesthetic’, the article brings new light on this creative dialogue that is too often taken for granted by academic studies.