Wednesday, September 06, 2023
Bilingual in Boston: Theatre By and For Immigrants
AMERICAN THEATRE: Opening night of Ray’s Magic, a series of short plays performed by the Boston-based Bengali theatre organization Off-Kendrik last May, was sold out. The audience was packed with an audience of almost entirely South Asian faces, chatting in a mix of Bengali and English. Volunteers served chai, mixture, and Indian sweets while urging dawdling audience members to get seated.
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"Bilingual in Boston: Theatre by and for Immigrants" highlights an inspiring trend in the world of theatre, mirroring the efforts of CityTheatre in Pittsburgh, which is currently producing a bilingual show called "Somewhere Over the Border." The play draws inspiration from "The Wizard of Oz" to narrate the journey of an immigrant girl, adding depth to the storytelling through the use of multiple languages. As a Mexican-American theatre artist, I find this development deeply comforting and relevant. The article resonates with my own experiences, where I often grapple with the intricacies of bilingualism. Expressing thoughts and emotions can become a complex dance between languages, as nuances and shades of meaning differ. Sometimes, I find myself reaching for words in one language and realizing that suitable synonyms simply do not exist. The emergence of bilingual productions like "Somewhere Over the Border" signals a transformative shift in the world of theatre. It not only provides a platform for immigrant voices but also challenges the conventional boundaries of storytelling. These productions encourage us to explore the rich tapestry of human expression through diverse linguistic and cultural lenses. In my view, such productions will play a pivotal role in reshaping our understanding of art, making it more inclusive and reflective of the diverse world we live in. They inspire hope that our art form will continue to evolve, embracing the multiplicity of languages and cultures that define our global community.
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