Staging the south: two contemporary Antarctic plays

Abstract

As examples of cultural production, plays and their treatment of imagined Antarctic space can provide valuable insights into how attitudes towards the continent have developed and been expressed, by revealing the dominant narratives at various points in time. In recent years, the traditional focus on Heroic Era narratives has given way to an engagement with environmental issues and the materiality of the place. The current accessibility of Antarctica has led to several site-specific works and multimedia performances that incorporate film footage shot on-site on the southern continent. Taking Mojisola Adebayo’s Moj of the Antarctic (2006) and Lynda Chanwai-Earle’s Heat (2008) as case studies, this article outlines, contextualises and explores recent developments in the representation of Antarctica upon the stage. Together, these plays show how playwrights are engaging with Antarctica in new and exciting ways and treating the continent as part of a global system.