Theatre East and West: An International Congress

Abstract

The Central Studio (Centro Teatro Ateneo) of the University of Rome, in cooperation with the University Commission of the International Federation of Research and the Institute for Research of the University of Vienna, hosted an international congress on the topic Theatre and West, September 24-28, 1984. Fifty participants from Europe, North America, Australia, Africa, and Asia assessed the confrontation that is occurring between theatre in Asia and the in this era of instant communication. This was only the second such conference in Europe, and all week the participants, students, and observers packed the Studio's theatre on the University of Rome campus. (The organizer, Professor Ferruccio Marotti, was also responsible for convening Europe's first East-West theatre conference, held in Florence ten years ago.) Major speakers wereJerzy Grotowski and, via video interviews and statements, Peter Brook. Grotowski contrasted theatre in the and the West. In the the actor walks, but in the he enacts signs of walking (walking as opposed to walkness). In the the idea of void is related to nakedness, that which remains after peeling away what was, while the Eastern artist sees void as a space to be filled, without obstacle, a potential for creation. Grotowski spoke of the meaninglessness of East and West as descriptive terms but, inevitably, had to use these words for convenience as we all do. The comments made by Grotowski and many participants confirmed the fact that Asian theatre remains an other in Western (especially European) consciousness in the mid-1980s. Many topics were raised: from analyses of acting and possession,