Decolonizing ecodramaturgies in Sheila Ghelani's atmospheric forces and Ray Young's thirst trap

Woynarski, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2516-0046 (2025) Decolonizing ecodramaturgies in Sheila Ghelani's atmospheric forces and Ray Young's thirst trap. In: The Methuen Drama Handbook of Women in Contemporary British Theatre. Bloomsbury, London, pp. 217-229. ISBN 9781350360259

Abstract/Summary

This chapter examines how the two contemporary British performances by women/non-binary artists, in order to argue for how they can decolonise ecodramaturgies. Atmospheric Forces by Sue Palmer and Sheila Ghelani does this through objects and museums, asking how do we tell (ecological) stories of objects? Making visible the hidden ecological and colonial lives of objects, Palmer and Ghelani interweave their personal stories with wider histories and atmospheric elements. A toy car unravels a story about Palmer’s first car, memories of long country drives as a child and the violent practices of oil extraction in the Niger Delta. The artists do decolonising work by reframing questions of British heritage and objects in atmospheric terms. They demonstrate in their piece that human history is natural history and the intimate ties between colonialism and climate. Thirst Trap by Ray Young is an immersive audio performance, designed to be experienced in your own bath. Focusing on water, the piece tells stories about potential future scenarios – linking climate justice and social justice. The audience experience is intimate and personal – a way of thinking beyond or behind alarming headlines or scary facts about climate crisis. The unequal effects of climate crisis are brough to the foreground, highlighting how geography, race, gender and class all impact the effects. Decentring Western-centric messages of climate crisis, the piece works towards decolonising by bringing often hidden or invisible stories in the audience’s personal space.

Item Type	Book or Report Section
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/131184
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Arts and Communication Design > Film, Theatre & Television
Publisher	Bloomsbury
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