Words, bodies, and places: A conversation around exploding the classics

Taking its move from recent productions directed by Karin Coonrod for Compagnia de’ Colombari, this conversation explores what happens when canonic English and American texts are translated for the stage through a consciously contemporary critical lens which foregrounds questions of linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and religious identity. Reflecting on these productions from the point of view of the creator/director and of a viewer/listener, we aim to explore how processes of translation articulate the negotiation of difference and produce “explosive” re-readings of “white English/American classics”, opening them up to questions about voices, bodies, and their positionalities, thus inviting audiences to think and feel differently about each work.