Cross-cultural Perspective, Richard Schechner Study

Richard Schechner has had relationship with Indian and Chinese Cultures for nearly half a century. This dissertation mainly focuses on Richard Schechner's thinking, exploration, deduction and direction, and controversy or conflicts concerning or concerned with Indian and Chinese Cultures and explores them interculturally on the basis of his theories and practices mostly established or experienced in or about India and China. Richard Schechner is well known in the field of Indian Theatre. As early as 1971, he has been to India and explored Indian Theatre. In 1976, he toured his production, Mother Courage and Her Children in 6 cities of India. In 1983, Schechner went back to India and directed The Cherry Orchard in Hindustani language. In the succedent and corresponding researches, Schechner has been studying Indian performance theory, and making intercultural comparisons. Meanwhile, Schechner is also well known in the field of Chinese Theatre. He has given lectures in Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan, and directed such works as Out of Mountains Tomorrow,Oresteia,and Hamlet, among which two are from Greece and Britain to China. Meanwhile, he has combined Out of Mountains Tomorrow with environmental theatre, which has aroused a passionate discussion in Shanghai, where Out of Mountains Tomorrow was put on stage. From the aspect of performance theory, what he concerns most is the cultural phenomena in India and China, which are deeply explored by him. This dissertation, according to the diachronic order and the clues of Schechner's dramatic practices home and abroad, will study Schechner's interculturalism from two aspects: practice and theory. The practice part discusses that of China and India respectively. Diachronically, India is discussed first, and then China. The discussion of theory part follows the same order. Chapter 1 is a general introduction, which tells the basic train of thought in research, the cultural allocation, the present research situation and the background of Schechner's intercultural practice. Chapter 2 mainly discusses the intercultural activities of Schechner in India, for example, the excitement and embarrassment in Schechner's first visit to India. This is the origin of his intercultural practice away from U.S.A.. In 1976, Schechner toured his Mother Courage and Her Children in India. This was the first time that Schechner put on performance abroad, which produced great influence. In 1983, Schechner directed The Cherry Orchard in Hindustani Language, which is of great significance for adopting local language in directing dramatic works for the first time. Meanwhile, he emphasizes the combination of Indian and English cultures. Before his visit to India, Schechner adapted The Bacchae in America with the new title of Dionysus in 69'and became famous overnight. However, the significance of this work lies in its combination with the oriental culture, and the acquisition of intercultural practice before going abroad. Chapter 3 mainly discusses the activities of Schechner as a director in Shanghai and Taiwan, for example, the discussion of Out of MountainsTomorrow and environmental theatre in 1989; the fusion and the conflicts between Oresteia and interculture; and Schechner's adoption of Beijing opera in constructing the Oresteia. In 2007, Schechner came to Shanghai again with his Hamlet. The optical angle of interculture and symbolic techniques used to drop a bomb in Shanghai. Schechner has propagated his Performance Studies in China which also displayed its intercultural features here for more than 10 years. Previously, it was Schechner who affected Chinese Performance Studies, but now, it is Chinese Performance Studies that affects Schechner. Chapter 4 mainly discusses the intercultural theories of Schechner. For example, the restorations of Indian Altar of Fires , Chhau and Bharatanatyam;the romanticized and idealized thinking on kathakali performance; the three relationships of intercultural performance; the intercultural conflicts between Schechner and Bharucha;Dixi——the local performance of Guizhou and its further development in the future. Chapter 5 is the conclusion part, which roundly concludes the Schechner's main intercultural theories and main intercultural practices studied in this dissertation. Looking back on Schechner's dramatic pursuit for more than half century, it is definitely believed that in most of his life time he is intercultural, and so is most of his thought. Richard Schechner thinks that culture itself is a result of continous restoration. So is the performance culture. So, wherever he goes, he would fuse or mix his works with the local cultures and make great achievements simultaneously. But most of the time, his works would probably be opposed, attacked or unrecognized by some scholars just for the sake of his fusing or mixing. This is our Richard Schechner, our intercultural Richard Schechner.