Abstract

This article explores the political and ethical implications of performance representing the ongoing realities of migration in contemporary Britain. Using Good Chance Theatre's The Jungle (2018) as its point of departure, the article problematizes the use of dramaturgies of proximity to confect simplistic notions of empathy as tantamount to political change. In a Brechtian vein, the article argues for modes of distanciation to foster critical engagement among audiences at the site of contemporary performance on migration. Focusing upon the production's West End transfer, its use of immersive strategies and its use of a comedic model to address ongoing issues in migration, this article finds that such strategies are not as politically transgressive as marketing and critical reception often contend them to be, with the onus of responsibility placed solely upon the individual spectator.

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Artikeln finns att läsa genom open access på Theatre Research Internationals hemsida.

Tidskriften drivs av International Federation for Theatre Research, världens största teatervetenskapliga organisation.

Emma Welton var en av arrangörerna till evenemanget I AM HERE: An intervention at Dansmuseet vintern 2020, som var en del av utbildningen.

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7/4, 2020: Masterstudenten Emma gästredaktör på SU:s Instagram