Decomposed Theatre: Re-composing Theatrical Forms in the Time of Pandemic

This essay reflects on a practice-as-research project at the intersection of stage translation, live performance and documentation, culminating in an audio recording intended for dissemination in the UK and US. Departing from a brief examination of previous English translations and productions of Decomposed Theatre by award-winning French-Romanian author Matei Vişniec (also known as Matéi Visniec in an international context), the essay engages with the process of workshopping the text and creating a performance version specifically for radio. The discussion focuses on the importance of fusing the different facets of creative practice with contextual and transcultural considerations, and addresses synergies between theory and praxis. It shows the fluidity between processes of writing, translation, directing and acting, drawing attention to the non-hierarchical ethos governing the collaborations involved. The project, created at the height of the Covid pandemic, came about as a response to the restrictions experienced by live performance, and offered an insight into the ways in which theatre artists tried to adapt to this unique status quo in terms of form, content and their relationship with audiences.