Immigration and Contemporary British Theater: Finding a Home on the Stage

154 Pages·2014·6.455 MB·English

by  Victoria Sams

Sams_cpi_hardcover:zamora2 2/9/2014 5:35 AM Page 1
VICTORIA SAMS
Immigration and
Contemporary
British Theater
Finding a Home on the Stage
P O S T C O L O N I A L S T U D I E S 1 3
Sams_cpi_hardcover:zamora2 2/9/2014 5:35 AM Page 1
13
Immigration and Contemporary British Theater: Finding a Home
on the Stage analyzes how contemporary British theater has
V
responded to post-war immigration to the United Kingdom i
c
t
through its depictions of home and domestic life. Bridging liter- o
r
ary analysis, theater history, and migration studies, the book ia

S
examines the ways that immigration to the United Kingdom has
a
m
reshaped British theatrical culture and inspired new conceptions
s
of Britishness and of communal belonging. Furthermore, it exam-
ines how immigrant theater artists from widely varying back-
grounds (geographical, educational, cultural) have worked within Im
and around existing theatrical institutions in Britain. m
i
g
r
a
t
i
o
n

a
n
d

C
o
VICTORIA SAMS is a program officer at the n
t
e
National Endowment for the Humanities. She has m
taught humanities, modern and contemporary p
o
drama, and English literature at UCLA and at r
a
r
Dickinson College. She received her Ph.D. in comparative litera- y

B
ture from UCLA and is editor of The Random House Treasury of
r
i
Favorite Poems about Cities Around the World(2004). t
i
s
h

T
h
e
a
t
e
r
WWW.PETERLANG.COM
Immigration and Contemporary
British Theater
POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES

Maria C. Zamora
General Editor

Vol. 13

This book is a volume in a Peter Lang monograph series.
Every title is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Washington, D.C./Baltimore  Bern
Frankfurt  Berlin  Brussels  Vienna  Oxford
VICTORIA SAMS

Immigration and Contemporary
British Theater

Finding a Home on the Stage

PETER LANG
New York  Washington, D.C./Baltimore  Bern
Frankfurt  Berlin  Brussels  Vienna  Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sams, Victoria.
Immigration and contemporary British theater:
finding a home on the stage / Victoria Sams.
p. cm. — (Postcolonial studies; v. 13)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Theater—Great Britain—History—20th century. 2. Theater—
Social aspects—Great Britain. 3. Ethnic theater—Great Britain—History—20th century.
4. Ethnicity in the theater. 5. English drama—20th century—History and
criticism. 6. Emigration and immigration in literature.
7. Immigrants in literature. I. Title.
PN2595.S245 792.0941—dc23 2011053456
ISBN 978-1-4331-1305-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-0590-6 (e-book)
ISSN 1942-6100

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

Cover illustration “The Arrival” Copyright Jane Laurie 2013
www.janelaurie.com

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.

© 2014 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

Printed in Germany
Contents

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................vii
Timeline..........................................................................................................................ix
Introduction....................................................................................................................1
Chapter One: Finding a Home on the Stage..............................................................5
Chapter Two: Narratives of Immigration and Theater in Postwar Britain.........11
Chapter Three: Journeys and Arrivals.......................................................................37
Chapter Four: Patriarchy in Crisis.............................................................................51
Chapter Five: Different for Girls...............................................................................73
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................93
Notes..............................................................................................................................99
Bibliography................................................................................................................109
Index.............................................................................................................................119

Acknowledgments

To those who have made me feel at home wherever I am in the world, I owe an
unfathomable debt, especially to my famously vast extended family, who truly
make me savor life. I am particularly grateful for my brother and sister, and for
the family they have added to ours. My mother’s compassion, curiosity, and
encouragement are a source of strength and an example to me. I hold the
memories of my father’s humor, insight, and humility close to my heart, and
miss him more than I can say.
Much love and gratitude go out to the longtime friends who have sustained
my spirits across any distance: Mike and Vicky Callen, The Oakleys, Clovis and
the much-missed Hala Maksoud, Aida and Roy Karaoglan, Alexandra Ossipoff,
Kathleen Cedergren, Tris Anne DeSalvio, Marisa Nightingale, Tiffany Smink,
Marina Moskowitz, Eric Steadman, Tiffany Holmes, Maia Mulligan Kaz, Laura
Kreutzer, Judy Kramer, Samantha Levy and Jason Deutsch, Reggie Tindall,
Suze Fowle, Jenny Backus, Laura and Bob Foose, Anna Lürbke, Alexi Daher,
Paola Moscarelli, Lloys Frates, Kris Over, Tammy Ho, Kelly Jeong, Matt
Christensen, Antonia Couling-Dini, and Robert Sargant. I am also deeply
grateful for the friendships formed a mere “kick of the ball” from my door in
Carlisle with the likes of Pauline Cullen and Brian McKenzie, Ebru Kongar and
Mark Price, Cotten and Clare Seiler, Becky and Dave Richeson, Heather and
Vince Champion, Rachel Boggia, Lucile Duperron and Marc Mastrangelo,
Suzanne and Dave Kranz, Emily Lawrence, and Andy and Circe MacDonald.
Amy and Alex Bates, Ashley Finley, Rennie Mapp and Rafael Alvarado,
Francesca Amendolia and Ed Webb, and Sarah Skaggs all made life on Pomfret
even sweeter.
Huge thanks go out to the mentors and comrades who have taught me so
much about intellectual excitement and community: to the teachers who first
taught me how to research and write (Ellis Turner and Bob Thomason); to my
guide through the deepest waters of comparative literature (Emily Apter); to the
wisest of advisors on dissertations, academic survival, and so much more (Jenny
Sharpe); and to my research group mates at Dickinson College—led by the
fabulous and inimitable Sharon O’Brien—Peggy Frohlich, Elizabeth Lee, Patty
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

van Leeuwaarde Moonsammy, Jerry Philogene, Regina Sweeney, Andy
MacDonald, and Antje Pfannkuchen. Another dear friend and colleague, Amy
Wlodarski, deserves thanks for her insight and encouragement on my writing.
The best parts of this book are indebted to the knowledge and generosity
of the scholars and artists whose work has inspired and aided mine: Sarah
Dadswell, Giovanna Buonanno, Christiane Schlote, Jatinder Verma, Kristine
Landon-Smith, Dominic Hingorani, Dimple Godiwala, Valerie Kaneko-Lucas,
Mustapha Matura, Felix Cross, and Nicolas Kent. Thanks also to all the theater
companies and to the R&D Committee of Dickinson College for providing me
the means to pore over production files and travel to conferences. I had several
wonderful homes away from home in London during many research trips, for
which I am deeply grateful to my family and friends who are family. I am
thankful as well for the sharp eyes and thoughtfulness of my dearest readers:
Bill Truettner, Alison Steadman, Pauline Cullen, Ann-Lloyd Hufstader, and Lisa
Sams. Jackie Pavlovic and Heidi Burns at Peter Lang deserve hearty thanks.
For another important form of sustenance that fuelled the writing of this
book, I thank Naomi and Robert Pham (and their lovely children) for all the
Issei deliciousness.
For all they did to sustain me in stomach and spirit, and for all they taught
me about immigrating to a faraway country with courage and style and a sense
of humor, I thank and miss my Sittou Hajar and Sittou Adele always.
A final note of profound gratitude for the friendship and example of a
remarkable mentor, teacher, and translator: Michael Henry Heim, who has left
the door open to so many beautiful literary worlds.
Illustration/Photo Credits
The image on the front cover of the book is by illustrator Jane Laurie and was
commissioned for Tamasha Theatre Company’s 2013 adaptation of Shaun
Tan’s The Arrival. The photograph on p. 53 in Chapter Four is from the
program for Tamasha Theatre Company’s 1996 production of Ayub Khan-
Din’s East is East. The photograph on p. 84 in Chapter Five shows the London
home of Tara Arts, and was provided by its Artistic Director, Jatinder Verma.