Stage | theguardian.com: Doubts about the use of drama in the real-life theatre of war are at least as old as the second world war. Founded in 1939 to bring diversion to British troops, the Entertainment National Service Association rapidly found its acronym, Ensa, lampooned as "Every Night Something Awful", as well as suggestions that some of its productions could be employed as a weapon against the enemy to make them surrender.
3 comments:
I don't think that this production of Hamlet should be taken as so controversial. I really doubt this theater troop is goign to make any sort of statement that would make a difference in that country. There are so many issues with what is going on over there, that a production of Hamlet probably will not even stir up a mouse. IF by any chance the performers could make a difference, they would be all over the news and not just on this blog feed. At the same time this is a good publicity stunt for the theater group.
I'm surprised that North Korea even allows touring shows to come through with the level of isolation that exists there. I can see how there would be a lot of conflict over this. For one, it sends a certain message of amicability or support between England and North Korea that they would work together in anyway. That aside, I don't see any way that their performance could inspire any kind of rebellion among the Korean people. It seems very likely, as the article mentions, that the surtitles would be censored. Additionally, the people are extremely loyal to Kim Jong-un. They don't see him the way the rest of the world does, and even if there are some citizens who do, the country could smash it down revolution very easily.
I'm honestly pretty shocked that the North Koreans are letting a play as overt as Hamlet be performed. Sometimes I wonder if most of the world making North Korea a pariah doesn't alienate them and cause them to speak out more than they would otherwise. I know they are very dramatic, but I don't see Amnesty complaining about lots of other stops in countries with human rights violations. Regardless, this tour seems super exciting and I'm excited to hear more about it.
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