ABSTRACT
This book examines the relationships between theatrical representations and socio-political aspects of Rapa Nui culture from pre-colonial times to the present.
This is the first book written about the production of Rapa Nui theatre, which is understood as a unique and culturally distinct performance tradition. Using a multilingual approach, this book journeys through Oceania, reclaiming a sense of connection and reflecting on synergies between performances of Oceanic cultures beyond imagined national boundaries. The author argues for a holistic and inclusive understanding of Rapa Nui theatre as encompassing and being inspired by diverse aspects of Rapa Nui performance cultures, festivals, and art forms.
This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Indigenous studies, Pacific Island studies, performance, anthropology, theatre education and Rapa Nui community, especially schoolchildren from the island who are learning about their own heritage.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |11 pages
Prologue
part Act One|50 pages
Rapa Nui Theatre and the Oceanic Context
chapter Scene I|10 pages
Storytelling and the Transmission of Knowledge through the Performing Arts
chapter Scene III|11 pages
Exploring the Construction of the ‘Traditional' and the Contemporary:
part Act Two|16 pages
Navigating an Ongoing Colonial Relationship Between Rapa Nui and Chile and Its Implications to the Rapa Nui Performing Arts
chapter Scene I|4 pages
Rapa Nui, Social Change, and the Ongoing Impacts of Encounters with European Explorers
chapter Scene II|5 pages
Isla de Pascua, a Chilean Colony in the Pacific
chapter Scene III|5 pages
The Modernisation of Rapa Nui and Influences on Rapa Nui Performing Arts
part Act Three|118 pages
‘A'amu Tuai, the Production of Rapa Nui Theatre