In Dan Rebellato’s article on playwriting and globalisation he reviews the

manifestations of prevalent trends as the arts continually becomes a commodity and

the parameters of site-specific performance. He debunks the viewpoints of de

Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life (ground-level perception) viewing the plane

through the lens of the consumer rather than the producer; and tackles Hine’s view

on localization but also critiques this as what is readily seen and available and that

the possible opposition to the global is brought about by the limit in perspective

because it is unfamiliar; but unites both thoughts as hostility towards the

homogenization process that takes place in the progression of universalism. He also

puts emphasis on Lyotard’s idea on the limitations that universals put upon the

particulars.

In my years of study and practice, I believe plays are not necessarily

geographically site-specific. There are processes on adaptation that allow it to be

localized depending on the vision of the artistic team. I have gone to Lebanon and

performed The Little Mermaid (musical) in an arts festival beside the shore, have

done the same production in the Philippines for 50 shows inside a theatre and toured

it provincially as well; though the script and all the costumes are the same, relatively I

can say that the “diminish” in the value of production is not necessarily a decline in

the creative process but a progression in the experience of the artistic team and the

audience. I don’t see a complete wrong in the adjustment to the site to be able to

spread the availability of the art in other places.

There is also a discussion how globalisation is the avenue on which

franchise musicals operate on in the production of commodity theatre—McTheatre

also known as, Mega-musicals that according to the article have hardly any regard

and respect for space, and site-specific performance. In this aspect, I understand

Rebellato’s argument on how the show has become so automated that “the designs

are the key to the brand”1 but I think he should have not left out of the argument the

truthfulness or even the lack there of truth in the performance of the actor. It may well

be that the performers are limited to completely re-interpreting the role but the

injection of new nuances in a character is inevitable to the creative process of the

actor; because his/her own habits no matter the degree will somehow manifest in the

portrayal of the role. All Val Jeans, may sing the same songs, wear the same clothes

and move to the same blockings but their breathing, objective, tactics and intentions

that the actor playing them personally provides will add variety to the performance

1 Rebellato, Dan(2006)'Playwriting and globalisation: Towards a site-unspecific theatre',Contemporary TheatreReview,16:1,100.

present in the particular space; thus making their own personal lives and affectations

a localized contribution to a global production.