Acting as the act of translation

Abstract

This chapter considers how multilingual and transnational actors can use translation strategies as performance tools and a means of creative, professional, and political empowerment. The example under discussion is the Irish-Polish staging of a one-woman play about growing up in Poland: Rewolucja Balonowa (Bubble Revolution) by Julia Holewinska. The analysis of the production’s process and performance show how translation is transformed into acting tools and how such a process allows the actor to contribute actively to the field of theatre and theatre translation. The chapter points towards the still unexplored potential of both non-native English accents onstage and of actors performing translations.