Conclusion

Summary

Contemporary Performance Translation concludes on a practical, forward-thinking note about how we engage pedagogically and artistically with translation. To demonstrate how a theory of translationality might function within the rehearsal space and the academic classroom, the author describes her commitment to what Delia Poey calls “coyote-scholarship,” whereby scholars must “accept a certain degree of responsibility in how and to what ends we transport texts across borders and boundaries.” Reflections are offered regarding challenges faced when teaching Latin American theatre and performance to English-speaking students, and strategies are recounted for pedagogical and curricular approaches. The rehearsal room, too, is what Kate Eaton calls a translational laboratory. The book concludes with a return to the author’s experience of translating what Ricardo Monti calls his “broader realism” for and with US-trained actors and supports the currently circulating proposition that translations should be thought of as “new plays.” Such an approach is collaboratively driven but also operates on multiple translational levels, “in-between” language, culture, actor training, and directorial casting and approach. Translationality encompasses much more than the translator’s participation; it captures the vital collaborative process of artistic creation across and within cultures, languages, and performance practices.