The Touring Grass Stage: Staging the Site-Specific Dilemma of Glocalization in Hypermodern China
In: World Political Theatre and PerformanceSearch for other papers by Wei Zheyu in
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Abstract
Inspired by Augusto Boal and other leftist theatre practitioners, the Shanghai-based theatre troupe Grass Stage (Caotaiban) addresses pressing social issues by creating debate forums in their performances. This chapter analyses both the socio-political context in which the company operates and the techniques it employs to confront audiences with social concerns such as the inequalities derived from urbanization and political injustice. The adoption of amateur theatre-making tactics allows Grass Stage to interrogate the contradictory socialist-capitalist reality in China, while circumventing the restrictions imposed by existing political and economic circumstances. Furthermore, this chapter examines how Grass Stage’s productions expose the paradoxes of ‘glocalization’ resulting from the old Chinese civilization’s engagement with (hyper-)modernity, neoliberalism and global mobility. In all, the study of Grass Stage’s practices reveals their radical political potential of revolt against global capitalist oppression in the face of the changes brought about by globalization on the local space and people.