This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 5, 2011 - "Jaw-dropping" and "eye-opening" are how St. Louis Shakespeare Festival executive director Rick Dildine describes his recent visit to China for an international theater conference.
Dildine returned last week from the International Theatre Institute World Congress in Xiamen, a trip funded by the Festival and the national Theatre Communications Group. He was one of 12 U.S. delegates chosen to spend six days in workshops and presentations with hundreds of other theater professionals from more than four dozen countries.
While the Festival is already focused on diversity, the gathering infused Dildine with a deeper dedication to cultural awareness. Dildine talked with the Beacon about his first World Congress, which also marked his first visit to China.
What was it like to be among delegates speaking so many languages?
Dildine: It was very much like sitting in the United Nations of theater. There were, I believe, 50 countries represented at the Congress and, of those, there were 300 total delegates.
Everyone had head sets on, and the Congress was being conducted and translated in four languages: English, French, Chinese and Arabic. A lot of the committee work and workshops and other sessions were being translated as well.
It was not uncommon for me to be in a room and hear someone say something in French, then it was translated to Chinese and then it was translated to English, because there were only a French-to-Chinese person and a Chinese-to-English person in the room. It was amazing to hear this global conversation.
Can you talk about the differences and similarities among the representatives?
Dildine: We talk a lot in American theater about how our work is changing lives and saving lives. When I heard other representatives, particularly from some of the African countries, talk about going into very dangerous areas and using theater to change the way the government thinks about issues and to change the way people think about issues, I realized that a lot of their theater is trying to save lives in a much bigger way than we in America are accustomed to.
One individual named Ali Mahdi, who was Sudan's delegate, has created a theater program and is going into refugee camps to help them talk about heir experience and create a forum for people to see and then respond to. This is what I've always said about theater, that it's sometimes easier for someone to talk about something that's going on in their own lives by pointing to a character on stage, like "When this character dealt with this specific issue, this is what I noticed." For example, with our bullying program that we're doing in the schools right now, it's easier for them to talk about something that's in front of them vs having to talk about something that's a personal experience.
A difference is that here in the States, we are generously supported by private individuals, and a lot of countries around world including those in Europe were interested in how we fundraise. It's a new phenomenon to other continents because they're so well-funded -- particularly in Europe -- by their governments.
What did you bring back to St. Louis that you will implement in the Festival's programs?
Dildine: I think at times I've let my artistic view get narrow. This opened it up in a bright way. It's made me think about how we do Shakes 38, a program where we do 38 different Shakespeare plays. But how are the different cultures in St. Louis represented in that project? How are we making theater that represents a global community?
In St. Louis, we have a Bosnian community, a Chinese community, Hispanic and Japanese communities -- there are dozens of different communities here. Are they part of this conversation? Being a fellow who doesn't speak Chinese, I was thrown into country where English is not the primary language, and I think about inviting people to the Shakespeare Festival whose primary language is not English. How are we welcoming them to the park? Do we have translations available? Does our food represent a diverse culture? How do we welcome them with small gestures?
What did you bring to the table in your representation of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival?
Dildine: I think it was very important to have the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival at the table. The delegates from all over the world were very impressed with the work that we're doing -- what we call "unexpected theater." We are listening to our community and involved in our community and that's what they were most impressed with. I was very proud to represent the Festival at the Congress and to tell our story.
Do you feel you made some lasting connections?
Dildine: Yes. There were a dozen delegates from the U.S., so I got to meet and get to know some U.S. colleagues. There was a really cool director from Hong Kong, an amazing Nigerian artist and artists from all over the world, who I left saying, "I feel like i'm going to stay in touch with you in some way."