Abhimanu Acharya

Decolonial Discoveries in Theatre: A Practice-Based Reflection

In this paper, I aim to show how restrictions on the availability of resources can often lead to pleasant and surprising dramaturgical discoveries, and how decolonization of stage can as much be an effect of material conditions as it is of intent. I intend to argue this by documenting my three-pronged experience as a playwright, director, and academic in the creation of my play ‘Execution: A Tragicomedy without Words’ which premiered in Mississauga in November 2023. Written as a mime piece based on the idea of colonial mimicry derived from the theories of Homi Bhabha, this play was produced by SAWITRI Theatre Group, a company serving the needs of the theatre-going South Asian community for the past twenty years. The resources vis-à-vis performance space, funding, availability of actors, and lack of marketing were scant, at best. I wish to show how this lack of resources eventually allowed me to find ways to be more creative such that at the end of the rehearsal process, I was able to arrive at a theatrical idiom that was decolonizing in its approach and thus fit perfectly well with the themes of the play.   

Biography

Dr. Abhimanyu Acharya is a postdoctoral associate in English and Writing Studies at Western University. He is also a multi-award-winning playwright, fiction writer, and translator. His creative research interests include Postcolonial Studies, Victorian Studies, Theatre and Performance, South Asian Studies, and Detective Fiction.  Check out his portfolio at www.abhimanyuacharya.com