Theatrical Entrepots: Mediating Locality on the Bandmann Circuit

Balme, Christopher (2017): Theatrical Entrepots: Mediating Locality on the Bandmann Circuit. In: Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, Vol. 5, No. 1: pp. 38-54

Abstract

The Bandmann theatrical circuit operated between the 1890 s and the 1920 s and comprised roughly two dozen towns and cities stretching from Gibraltar to Yokohama that the companies visited on a regular basis. This paper will examine a selected number of these localities both in terms of their cultural specificities but also in respect to their connectivity. The concept of theatrical entrepot proposed here proceeds from an understanding of locality that is predicated on the passage and the conduit of goods (in this case theatrical). It employs terms from actor-network-theory that conceptualize locality not just in splendid isolation but as a set of interconnected nodes. Four entrepots will be analysed in detail: Malta, Bombay, Calcutta and Singapore. In the case of Bombay and Calcutta, Bandmann's theatre-building activities will be examined as a means to achieve a greater degree of locality. The ports of call such as Malta and Singapore were important as naval bases but in the case of Singapore as a multi-cultural entrepot which enabled the distribution of opium grown in India and designed for export to China and East Asia.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: History and Art History
• Subjects: 900 History and geography > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 2195-0156
• Language: English