The pendular trajectory of TEN: coming and going in the practice of mediation with the audience

Abstract

Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN) had the difficult task of remaining between Blackness and whiteness to please its audience and establish themselves as artists in Brazil. The image of the pendulum reminds us of the theater group standing within the dilemma of its time that made it move back and forth between social contexts (including risking breaking the radicality of a militant project), although it also alludes to coming and going as a mediation and, thus, as a pedagogical practice for a mostly white audience. This study proposes some reflections on how the profile of the audience (their experiences, stances, and preferences) can influence the conception of a group’s scene and its trajectory; a theoretical and practical problem that concerns the work of this collective of Black artists and any contemporary theatrical production and project. Following the example of TEN’s artistic practice, we seek implications both on and off the stage of Black theatrical productions without the reception of Black spectators. We then suggest an investigation on how audiences can influence theatrical dynamics, especially when the bodies on stage fall into codes prior to their announcement that must be radically combated.