Download Finelli

Research Grant – Spring 2008
Title or Proposal: International Conference on Caribbean Culture and Performance
Faculty member: Patrick M. Finelli, Ph.D.
Unit: School of Theatre and Dance
Abstract
I met with scholars from the U.S. and Caribbean in Grand Cayman, B.W.I. during
December, 2007 to organize a June 2008 conference and develop session topics in honor
of the 50th anniversary of Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. The funds from this grant
will be used to help defer expenses incurred as a participant and presenter. The
conference will interrogate the historical and contemporary processes that characterize
the play’s performative representation of cultural identity and difference, the interaction
of diverse artistic traditions, its historical context and subsequent influence on theatrical
and artistic practices in the Caribbean and diaspora.
Proposal
Considered a regional classic by most Caribbean theatre artists and scholars, Moon on a
Rainbow Shawl was the winner of the National Observer Award in 1957 and was first
produced in London in 1958. It remains one of the most enduring Caribbean plays. I
cover the play in my Caribbean Theatre course and served as dramaturge for
TheatreUSFs production directed and designed by West Indian guest artist Henry Muttoo.
Our staging attracted the attention of many Caribbean artists and scholars which
encouraged us to hold a conference in order to stimulate further discourse. I wrote the
“Call for Papers” listing possible topics that may include, but are not limited to:












Production history of the play
Errol John’s life and work
Contemporary productions (directing, acting and design)
Representations of gender, race, class, and national identity in the play
American military presence in pre-independence Trinidad
Interconnectedness of theatre and popular forms (Calypso, Hollywood films)
Transnational narratives: the emigration of West Indian artists
Intercultural traditions in theatrical representation
Social roles and responsibilities of artists
The interaction of critical theory and artistic practices
Politics and Caribbean aesthetics
Archivization of source material in Trinidad (e.g., Whitehall Players, playscripts)
I will contribute my own paper to the conference titled “Theatrical and architectural
space in Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl” It is a critical analysis of theatrical
space that considers the conceptualization of fictional place as defined and described in
the dramatic text and the physical design of scenic space perceived by the audience in
production. Every play contains inside and outside dramatic space, the place where the
play takes place and the places beyond the visible confines of the setting. The physical,
fictional world of the play in performance is revealed through scenographic and
1
dramaturgical devices. Although what we see onstage during the play is the yard area of
a Trinidadian community, this is very much an indoor communal living space. The
outdoor areas of the yard are shared places, much like the family room in a modern home.
Due to their poverty, the characters cannot help but be completely involved in each
other’s lives. Their space resonates with proscribed social systems, expressed attitudes
and embedded ideology. Considering that gender roles are associated with events that
occur inside and outside of the house, we can expand this notion to include theatrical
spaces. Traditionally, a woman’s world is her home, while a man makes the outside
world his world. Once we make this connection between the theatrical “within” and
“without” with the outdoors and indoors, theatrical space is transformed into a gendercharged environment, naturally fitted for acting out the drama of man and woman. This is
the central thesis of my paper. I believe this supports the goals of the SOTD, CVPA and
USF in the areas of research, teaching, critical thinking, inquiry-based learning, diversity,
international perspectives and creative art.
2