Language and body in performance: Working across languages in the Ghanaian production i told you so

Abstract

Language is central to any discussion of theatre, particularly in the African context where, due to the history of colonialism, many playwrights write in languages other than their own mother tongue. African actors are, consequently, faced with the challenge of performing in languages which may not be their first language. In a 2007 production of a local-language play adapted from the Concert Party tradition at the University of Ghana, the authors of this article noted an amazing presentation of powerful body movements on stage, which resonated very well with our student and faculty audiences. This production and its enthusiastic reception raised key questions regarding the effect a more familiar language medium has on the actor's body and movement on stage. Are there any limitations to the actor's art when they have to perform in a language that is not their mother tongue? How may these limitations, if any, be overcome? To what extent did the stylised movements associated with Concert Party contribute to the success of this production? How did this experiment impact on the student performers? This article probes these questions by exploring the relationships between spoken language, paralanguage, and body language in acting on stage. The authors held focus group discussions with student actors and directors to examine the issues involved. Students who had had major roles in English and in this particular production were further interviewed with a view to discovering any differences they might have felt in performing in their own mother tongue or in a more familiar language compared with in performing in English. The authors' findings are presented in this article. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.