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 * Theater in the Tibet Autonomous Region.** Colin Mackeras. __Asian Theater Journal__, Fall 1988. 5.2. 198-219.

The Tibet Autonomous Region defines a unique chunk of land sandwiched between India and China. Although the region is small, the Tibetan people developed an independent nation and culture over many centuries with peaceful diplomatic ties from it's super-power neighbors. However, in the 20th century China claimed ownership over the region by citing past treaties and requests for aid. As China cements it's footing in Tibet, the culture and traditions of the people suffer from an imposing outside influence. In 1985, Colin Mackerras spent ten days studying one of the main facets of Tibetan culture--the theater. In his research, Mackerras met with local troupes, viewed performances, and read translated studies and plays. In the end, he dissected performance into three groups: traditional, rearranged, and spoken word. Throughout his report "Drama in the Tibet Autonomous Region" for the __Asian Theater Journal__, Colin Mackerras explains the unique performances in Tibetan drama and weaves the complicated tale of politics and their affects on theater.

Colin Mackerras organizes "Drama in the Tibet Autonomous Region" by the three separate types of performance, but their arrangement also becomes the historical narrative of Tibetan drama. Mackerras begins the article by describing traditional theater performance in Tibet. He calls it "older than any of the major surviving Han styles, including // kunqu" // (pg 199). Mackerras does not mention the Tibetan history at this time, but the independence of the traditional theater form becomes even more notable when it is put in a historical context. Tibet was a free and independent country until the 20th century with the exception of the invasion of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. This political independence allowed Tibetan people to explore art with a cultural independence from China and India, so much so that the Tibetan language does not even share a root with the languages of either country.The main fault with "Drama in the Tibet Autonomous Region" is that it does not acknowledge the state's historic freedom.

What Colin Mackerras lacks in historical analysis, he makes up for in the descriptions of performance. Traditional theater focuses heavily on dance, and it is accompanied solely by a drum and cymbals. According to lore, theater started with a senior lama who wanted to raise funds for a bridge and enlisted seven women to perform his script. Because of this legend, women are allowed to perform alongside men in productions. Another notable aspect of traditional theater is when it is preformed and to what purpose. The Fifth Dalai Lama decreed that music drama and religious practice should be separate, yet as sovereign of the state he sponsored theater productions in seasonal festivals (pg 200). Professional troupes would perform at festival, but local folk bands sprung up in the interim. Although theater was not part of the canon religious practice, traditional scripts emphasis the Buddhist lifestyle and show scenes of religious devotion. In festival productions, actors wore elaborate costumes. Depending on the character, the actor would either wear a mask or bright face paint. Accompanied by a drum and cymbals, actors would sing in high pitched voices with many glottal stops, but actors would "only sing one melody" (pg 201). The resplendence of dress in traditional Tibetan theater mirrors the traditional Kathakali of India and Kunqu of China, but the masks and musical aspect of the script sets the traditional Tibetan theater apart.

The later style of rearranged plays in Tibetan theater, closely resembles the traditional theater. The rearranged theater even uses the same plays, but eliminates the epilogue that the traditional theater would perform. The biggest distinction between the two forms is location: traditional theater is performed outside, and rearranged is performed inside on a stage. Plate 2, in the photographs section of the __Asian Theater Journal__, shows a depiction of a reformed/rearranged play. The actors wear the same elaborate costumes as the traditional theater, but the stage is extensively set and it's decadence mirrors the actors' dress. While the two versions use the same plays, the rearranged often changes the outcome of the play to change the subject matter or moral lesson: "the message in the former is to retire from the world to practice religion, while that in the latter is to fight and resist" (pg 205). The reworking of plays becomes a tool of political expression and propaganda amongst the Tibetan people who in the last century have lost the security of religion and the Dalai Lama.

Where rearranged theater is the voice of modern Tibetan people, the last category, the spoken drama plays, are the voice of the Han Chinese now living in Tibet. Spoken drama is a theater form begun by the Chinese government: "The origins of spoken drama go back to 1960, when twenty-nine Tibetan students, handpicked for their correct class background and loyalty to Chinese, were sent to Shanghai Drama Institute to study" (206). Because of the deep influence of the Han on this theater form, Tibetans resist and do not respect this form. These theater troupes receive a paid salary from the People's Republic of China and perform bilingual Western style plays--even //Romeo and Juliet//. The plays are performed in Western style structures, and the tickets are sold in a Western style box office. Before Chinese occupation, Tibet practiced a strict isolationist policy. They outlawed many Western cultural items, including eyeglasses. As long as traditional Tibetan viewpoints survive, the spoken drama will not be able to find a foothold in society.

Colin Mackerras deconstructs the three types of Tibetan theater in his report "Theater in the Tibet Autonomous Region" by analyzing both the performance of theater and the political reaction to each type. He conducted his research in 1985, over twenty years ago. In this day, China still occupies Tibet. A more modern study would augment Mackerras research to garner the current cultural and political response to theater, especially spoken drama. The traditional theater form of Tibet is a legacy to world art. Hopefully it will survive as Tibet stuggles under the political unrest and cultural oppression of China.