From Empty Space to Sacred Place: The Role of ‘Place-Specific’ Performance in Developing a Distinct Native American Theatre Genre

Novell, Andrew (2026) From Empty Space to Sacred Place: The Role of ‘Place-Specific’ Performance in Developing a Distinct Native American Theatre Genre. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

In this thesis, I survey the current position of the contemporary Native American1 theatre movement in the United States2, questioning how the concept of ‘place’, so prevalent and influential in Native American culture, spirituality, and socio-politics, may be used for both its analysis and continued development. Above all, I challenge here the disproportionate number of Native American plays written for performance in theatres. While the ‘Indigenised’ Native American theatre that has emerged so far has done much to challenge and break down ethnic barriers within the conventional American theatre scene, I contend that the role of place in that institution often proves fundamentally at odds with its functioning in Native American performance culture. Consequently, the potential role place might perform in realising the aspirations of Native American dramatists to create, what theatre theorist Roland Meinholtz described as a ‘strikingly unique’ ethnic form of theatre, has rarely been explored. As an alternative approach, I theorise on the creation of more ‘place-based’ works, principally utilizing ‘place-specific’ practices, and which embrace the active performative nature of real places in Native American theatre.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2026 13:39
Last Modified:	09 Apr 2026 13:39
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102734
DOI:

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