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Accepted Paper:

Christening 'drama' in two Pacific island communities  
Wendy Cowling (University of Waikato)

Paper short abstract:

The performances of versions of ‘drama’, seen in church-sponsored, public presentations in Tonga and in the Cook Islands, unite the sacred and the social, foreign theatre styles with indigenous forms, including dance genres, and generate deeply-felt cathartic experiences.

Paper long abstract:

The performances of versions of 'drama', seen in church-sponsored, public presentations in Tonga and in the Cook Islands, unite the sacred with the social, foreign theatre styles with indigenous forms, inluding dance genres, and generate deeply-felt cathartic experiences. In the Cook Islands there is invariably a ludic element and some utilization of the theatrical norms inherent in group performances of traditional dances. In contrast, the 'dramas' and other religious narratives performed in Tongan Wesleyan church services, whether in the home islands or in diasporic communities, and which commemorate special events, are solemn. The performance modes have evolved locally, with minimal influences from western theatre styles. Any ludic elements are left at the church door, but seen in other presentations, including dance.

Panel P33
Performance and vitality: circulation and the value of culture
  Session 1