Reimagining communities and implementing social learning: contemporary community theatre development in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore

Abstract

Since the 1990s, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have encountered political, social, economic and cultural challenges. During this period, their community theatres have played distinctive roles in activating their public space to reimagine their communities, form dialogues with their governments and construct learning experiences amongst various communities. Because of the similar historical background of these areas in a postcolonial and postmodern context, a comparative study of these areas can elucidate how they played various roles of alternative modernity in Asian Chinese-speaking communities and demonstrating how community theatre can serve as a learning and communicative process. The aesthetics of these performances can also inspire community theatre practice. Their performance texts include local legends, historical stories, heroes, community narratives and local environmental, political and social issues and concerns. Their performance styles are drawn from local popular theatre traditions that are adapted to form new meanings and occasionally incorporate interactive theatre techniques. Therefore, their unique eclectic aesthetic, political and ethical efficacy must be explored further. Various case studies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan were used to explore their similarities and differences. The community theatre development and performance process in these areas is a learning and implementation process for cultural citizenship at the local and international levels and can counter globalisation and commoditisation of dominant capitalistic cultures from a comparative perspective.