It's not that simple … doubts, responsibility, theatre and war

Abstract

As an academic exploration that also engages with the idea of performative writing, this article deals with the notion of responsibility when making theatre with/for communities that have known violent conflict. Rooted in an acknowledgment that form is as powerful as content, the form in which this article has been written aims to symbolise the sheer plurality of ideas that underlie the creation of theatre in times and places of war. Making theatre in conflict/post-conflict zones is by no means simple. However, in its lack of simplicity, in the many nuances to its responsibility, there is much for the theatre artist and spectator to learn. There are two texts in this article: one involving a discussion of projects in northern Uganda and Rwanda that use theatre in war-stricken communities; the other is a set of notes on a workshop/performance in Nagaland (a state in north-eastern India). These symbiotic experiences have led to the exploration of a set of performance practices that I call a theatre of doubts. This article introduces the theatre of doubts – albeit as a concept that is still shaping and re-shaping itself in response to ongoing practice as research.