Dramaturgies of Authenticity: Staging Multilingualism in Contemporary Theatre Practices

Abstract

Theatrical multilingualism has recently come to be a focus of many contemporary theatre practices and scholarly studies that recognise communication between those on stage and those in the audience as being tightly linked to realities of forced migration and rising nationalism. Buildingon the potential ethical functions of theatre, multilingual performances often
pursue theatrical verisimilitude and thus rely on what I call dramaturgies of authenticity. This is when the characters of migration speak in the language of the actors who enact them. Wajdi Mouawad’s play Tous des oiseaux (2017) presents a compelling example of this practice. Written originally in French, the play has been translated into four languages: English, Hebrew, German, and Arabic. Enacted by a team of international performers, this play uses multilingualism as an iconic sign of the characters’ experiences.