A Dialogue on the Banks of the Ganges: Gordon Craig and Ananda Coomaraswamy

Ribeiro, Almir

doi:10.1590/2237-266045461

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes the dialogue between Edward Gordon Craig and Ananda Coomaraswamy, a historian of Indian art, as the launching point of the investigative universe known as intercultural theatre, and the consequences of this dialogue in the thought of the British director, challenging his creation of the Über-marionette. From this dialogue, the text presents Gordon Craig's cautious stance on trade between cultural traditions. Those inherent idiosyncrasies in these exchanges, which populated the research throughout the 20^th and early 21^st centuries, are problematized in this article. The debate's cyclical aspect is exemplified, recovering the clash between Rustom Bharucha, severe critic of Western attempts to Interculturalism, and Richard Schechner, one of the mentors of intercultural theatre.

Keywords:
Edward Gordon Craig; Über-marionette; Interculturalism; Theatre; Eastern Theatre

RESUMO

O artigo analisa o diálogo entre Edward Gordon Craig e Ananda Coomaraswamy, historiador de arte indiana, como ponto inaugural do universo investigativo conhecido como teatro intercultural e as consequências desse diálogo no pensamento do diretor inglês, desafiando sua criação do Über-marionette. A partir desse diálogo, o texto apresenta a postura precavida de Gordon Craig sobre as trocas entre tradições culturais. Problematiza-se as idiossincrasias inerentes a estes intercâmbios, que povoaram as pesquisas ao longo do século XX e início do XXI. Exemplifica-se o aspecto cíclico do debate, resgatando o embate entre Rustom Bharucha, crítico severo das tentativas de interculturalismo ocidental, e Richard Schechner, um dos mentores do teatro intercultural.

Palavras-chave:
Edward Gordon Craig; Über-marionette; Interculturalismo; Teatro; Teatro Oriental

RÉSUMÉ

L'article examine le dialogue entre Edward Gordon Craig et Ananda Coomaraswamy, historien de l'art indien, comme point de départ de l'univers d'investigation connu sous le nom de théâtre interculturel et les conséquences de ce dialogue dans la pensée du metteur en scène anglais, contestant sa création de la sur-marionnette. A partir de ce dialogue, le texte présente la position prudente de Gordon Craig concernant les échanges entre traditions culturelles. Sont interrogées les idiosyncrasies inhérentes à ces échanges, qui ont peuplé la recherche tout au long du XXe siècle et au début du XXIe. L'aspect cyclique du débat est illustré par la confrontation entre Rustom Bharucha, critique sévère des tentatives occidentales d'interculturalisme, et Richard Schechner, l'un des mentors du théâtre interculturel.

Mots-clés:
Edward Gordon Craig; Sur-marionnette; Interculturalisme; Théâtre; Théâtre Oriental

Full text available only in PDF format.

Referências

BABLET, Denis. Edward Gordon Craig. Paris: L'Arche, 1962.
BANERJI, Projesh. Nataraja, the Dancing God. New Delhi: Cosmo, 1985.
BARBA, Eugenio; SAVARESE, Nicola. L'Énergie qui Danse. Montpellier: L'Entretemps, 2008.
BHARUCHA, Rustom. Theatre and the World: performance and the politics of culture. London: Routledge, 2005.
BHARUCHA, Rustom. Thinking through Theatre in an Age of Globalization. London: Wesleyan University Press, 2000.
BHARUCHA, Rustom. A Collision of Cultures: some western interpretations of the Indian theatre. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 1, p. 1-20, 1984.
BHARUCHA, Rustom. A Reply to Richard Schechner. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 2, p. 254-260, 1984.
CARROLL, Lewis. Aventuras de Alice no País das Maravilhas / Através do Espelho e o que Alice encontrou Lá. São Paulo: Summus, 1980.
CAMPBELL, Joseph. As Máscaras de Deus. São Paulo: Palas Athena, 1995.
COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Mirror of Gesture. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1987.
COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Dance of Shiva. New Delhi: Sagar, 1996.
COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. Notes on Indian Dramatic Technique. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni, v. VI, n. 2, p. 109-130, oct. 1913.
COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Arts and Crafts of Ceylon and India. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni, v. VII, n. 2, p. 270-273, may 1915.
CRAIG, Edward. Gordon Craig, the Story of his Life. New York: Limelight, 1985.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. A Living Theatre. The Gordon Craig School, the Arena Goldoni, the Mask. Florence: Arena Goldoni, 1913.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Da Arte do Teatro. Lisboa: Arcádia, 1963.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. On the Art of the Theatre. London: Routledge , 2009.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Scene. London: Oxford University Press, 1922.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Theatre Advancing. Boston: Arno Press, 1919.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Mask - a quarterly illustrated journal of the art of the theatre (1909-1910), New York, Benjamim Blom, 1966.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Mask - a quarterly illustrated journal of the art of the Theatre, Florence, Arena Goldoni, 1908-1929. (Coleção completa do British Institute of Florence.)
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Towards a New Theatre. Florence: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1913.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon; {FURST, Adolf}. A Note on Marionettes. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni. v. II, n. 4-6, p. 72-76, oct. 1909.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Asia Europe America. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni , v. VIII, n. 8, p. 31-32, 1918.
CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The History of Japanese Colour Prints. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni , v. IV, n. 2, p. 64-65, 1911.
DECROUX, Étienne. Parole sul Mimo. Roma: Dino Audino, 2003.
GROTOWSKI, Jerzy. Around Theatre: the orient - the occident. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 6, n. 1, p. 1-11, 1989.
GUHAN, Suban. Bala on Bharatanatyam. Chennai: The Sruti Foundation, 1991.
HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida, 2009.
HERRERA, Aurora. Paralipómenos sobre Edward Gordon Craig. In: HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida , 2009. P. 38-333.
INNES, Christopher. Edward Gordon Craig, a Vision of Theatre. London: Routledge , 2005.
INNES, Christopher. Visiones del Movimiento: Isadora Duncan y Gordon Craig. In: HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida , 2009. P. 434-447.
JUNG, Carl Gustav. O Homem e seus Símbolos. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 2002.
LE BOEUF, Patrick (Org.). Craig e La Marionnette. Avignon: Actes Sud/Bibliotheque Nationale de France, 2009.
LEHMANN, Hans-Thies. Teatro Pós-dramático. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2007.
LEMAITRE, Solange. Hinduísmo ou Sanátana Dharma. São Paulo: Flamboyant, 1958.
MAROTTI, Ferruccio. Il mio Teatro. Milano: Feltrinelli, 1971.
NATYA SHASTRA. Tradução: Equipe de Pesquisadores. New Delhi: Sri Satguru, 1989.
PAVIS, Patrice (Org). The Intercultural Performance Reader. London: Routledge , 1996.
PAVIS, Patrice. O Teatro no Cruzamento de Culturas. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2008.
SAVARESE, Nicola. Teatro e Spettacolo fra Oriente e Occidente. Bari: Laterza, 2009.
SAVARESE, Nicola. Il Teatro al di là del Mare. Lodi: Studio Forma, 1980.
SCHECHNER, Richard. A Reply to Rustom Bharucha. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 2, p. 245-253, 1984.
SCHINO, Mirella. La Nascita della Regia Teatrale. Roma: Laterza, 2003.
SCHINO, Mirella (Org.). Renzo Vescovi: Scritti da Teatro Tascabile. Roma: Bulzoni, 2007.
TARLEKAR, Ganesh. Hari. Studies in the Natyasastra. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1997.
TAXIDOU, Olga. The Mask, a Periodical Performance by Edward Gordon Craig. Amsterdam: Harwood Academics, 1998.

1
Hinduism, rigorously, is not a religion, but a "{...} bundle of related religions" (Lemaitre, 1958, p. 7). This gathering of religious practices is only identified as united when seen under the point of view of its common foundations established in the books called Vedas, written around the 15^th Century B.C. A true myriad of religious practices identified as Hinduism has, however, as a common axis, a philosophical tripod on the concepts of Dharma, Karma, and Reincarnation. And, as the ultimate goal, the liberation (Moksha) from the painful cycle of incarnations and the final meeting with the Whole.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Dec 2014

History

Received
07 Mar 2014
Accepted
27 Apr 2014

Este é um artigo publicado em acesso aberto sob uma licença Creative Commons

[1] BABLET, Denis. Edward Gordon Craig. Paris: L'Arche, 1962.

[2] BANERJI, Projesh. Nataraja, the Dancing God. New Delhi: Cosmo, 1985.

[3] BARBA, Eugenio; SAVARESE, Nicola. L'Énergie qui Danse. Montpellier: L'Entretemps, 2008.

[4] BHARUCHA, Rustom. Theatre and the World: performance and the politics of culture. London: Routledge, 2005.

[5] BHARUCHA, Rustom. Thinking through Theatre in an Age of Globalization. London: Wesleyan University Press, 2000.

[6] BHARUCHA, Rustom. A Collision of Cultures: some western interpretations of the Indian theatre. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 1, p. 1-20, 1984.

[7] BHARUCHA, Rustom. A Reply to Richard Schechner. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 2, p. 254-260, 1984.

[8] CARROLL, Lewis. Aventuras de Alice no País das Maravilhas / Através do Espelho e o que Alice encontrou Lá. São Paulo: Summus, 1980.

[9] CAMPBELL, Joseph. As Máscaras de Deus. São Paulo: Palas Athena, 1995.

[10] COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Mirror of Gesture. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1987.

[11] COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Dance of Shiva. New Delhi: Sagar, 1996.

[12] COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. Notes on Indian Dramatic Technique. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni, v. VI, n. 2, p. 109-130, oct. 1913.

[13] COOMARASWAMY, Ananda. The Arts and Crafts of Ceylon and India. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni, v. VII, n. 2, p. 270-273, may 1915.

[14] CRAIG, Edward. Gordon Craig, the Story of his Life. New York: Limelight, 1985.

[15] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. A Living Theatre. The Gordon Craig School, the Arena Goldoni, the Mask. Florence: Arena Goldoni, 1913.

[16] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Da Arte do Teatro. Lisboa: Arcádia, 1963.

[17] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. On the Art of the Theatre. London: Routledge , 2009.

[18] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Scene. London: Oxford University Press, 1922.

[19] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Theatre Advancing. Boston: Arno Press, 1919.

[20] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Mask - a quarterly illustrated journal of the art of the theatre (1909-1910), New York, Benjamim Blom, 1966.

[21] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The Mask - a quarterly illustrated journal of the art of the Theatre, Florence, Arena Goldoni, 1908-1929. (Coleção completa do British Institute of Florence.)

[22] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Towards a New Theatre. Florence: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1913.

[23] CRAIG, Edward Gordon; {FURST, Adolf}. A Note on Marionettes. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni. v. II, n. 4-6, p. 72-76, oct. 1909.

[24] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. Asia Europe America. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni , v. VIII, n. 8, p. 31-32, 1918.

[25] CRAIG, Edward Gordon. The History of Japanese Colour Prints. The Mask, Florence, Arena Goldoni , v. IV, n. 2, p. 64-65, 1911.

[26] DECROUX, Étienne. Parole sul Mimo. Roma: Dino Audino, 2003.

[27] GROTOWSKI, Jerzy. Around Theatre: the orient - the occident. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 6, n. 1, p. 1-11, 1989.

[28] GUHAN, Suban. Bala on Bharatanatyam. Chennai: The Sruti Foundation, 1991.

[29] HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida, 2009.

[30] HERRERA, Aurora. Paralipómenos sobre Edward Gordon Craig. In: HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida , 2009. P. 38-333.

[31] INNES, Christopher. Edward Gordon Craig, a Vision of Theatre. London: Routledge , 2005.

[32] INNES, Christopher. Visiones del Movimiento: Isadora Duncan y Gordon Craig. In: HERRERA, Aurora (Org.). Edward Gordon Craig: el espacio como espectáculo. Madrid: La Casa Encendida , 2009. P. 434-447.

[33] JUNG, Carl Gustav. O Homem e seus Símbolos. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 2002.

[34] LE BOEUF, Patrick (Org.). Craig e La Marionnette. Avignon: Actes Sud/Bibliotheque Nationale de France, 2009.

[35] LEHMANN, Hans-Thies. Teatro Pós-dramático. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2007.

[36] LEMAITRE, Solange. Hinduísmo ou Sanátana Dharma. São Paulo: Flamboyant, 1958.

[37] MAROTTI, Ferruccio. Il mio Teatro. Milano: Feltrinelli, 1971.

[38] NATYA SHASTRA. Tradução: Equipe de Pesquisadores. New Delhi: Sri Satguru, 1989.

[39] PAVIS, Patrice (Org). The Intercultural Performance Reader. London: Routledge , 1996.

[40] PAVIS, Patrice. O Teatro no Cruzamento de Culturas. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2008.

[41] SAVARESE, Nicola. Teatro e Spettacolo fra Oriente e Occidente. Bari: Laterza, 2009.

[42] SAVARESE, Nicola. Il Teatro al di là del Mare. Lodi: Studio Forma, 1980.

[43] SCHECHNER, Richard. A Reply to Rustom Bharucha. Asian Theatre Journal, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, v. 1, n. 2, p. 245-253, 1984.

[44] SCHINO, Mirella. La Nascita della Regia Teatrale. Roma: Laterza, 2003.

[45] SCHINO, Mirella (Org.). Renzo Vescovi: Scritti da Teatro Tascabile. Roma: Bulzoni, 2007.

[46] TARLEKAR, Ganesh. Hari. Studies in the Natyasastra. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1997.

[47] TAXIDOU, Olga. The Mask, a Periodical Performance by Edward Gordon Craig. Amsterdam: Harwood Academics, 1998.

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