Student profiles
Beri Juraic
X (Twitter): @berijuraic
Blog: www.kiretsuzuki.com
Email: b.juraic@lancaster.ac.uk
Website: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lica/people/beri-juraic
Thesis Title
Institution
Supervisors
Dr Karen Juers-Munby
Prof Andrew Quick
Research Summary
My PhD project re-addresses the absence of critical engagement with contemporary Japanese theatre in English-speaking world through the first comprehensive study of the work by Japanese playwright and director Yudai Kamisato who was born in Peru. In the last decade, he collected stories and episodes during his travels in South America, Asia and Japan. As a result, his work has shifted as the themes of crossing borders, migration, and Japanese identity began to feature prominently in his work. This has led him to re-think theatre space through linguistic, sonic, and corporeal perspectives.
In my PhD project, I situate Kamisato’s work within the shifting paradigm of postdramatic theatre, practice emerging since the 1960s, outside Euro-American context. Whilst there are a few broader studies on this topic in the Asian context, I am examining a specific Japanese case and how it transgresses from the Euro-American postdramatic theatre. I also consider what is political in his work. Combining European and Asian theories and mixed method approach including dramaturgical analysis of rehearsal process, multi-sited ethnography, and performance analysis, I explore Kamisato’s dramaturgy of crossing-borders through performance practice. Beyond Kamisato’s work, this research has the potential to promote further connections and knowledge exchange between British and Japanese theatre-makers and researchers.
Previous Education:
MA in Japanese Studies (Distinction), SOAS, University of London, 2020
BA in Modern Languages (Japanese and French) – First Class Honours Birkbeck, University of London, 2019
Research Interests
My research interests concern post-war and contemporary Japanese theatre and performance, postdramatic theatre, aurality, multilingual theatre, theatre and migration and liminality in theatre-making and research. Prior to academic career, I also worked as a theatre and dance producer and festival programmer and curator and have interest in practice.
Publications
Recent Publications, Conference Papers and Lectures:
Juraic, B. (2023) ‘Ghosts of War: The Sounds of the Uncanny in Kamisato Yudai’s Immigrant Ghost Stories.’ In: European Association for Japanese Studies 2023 Conference. University of Ghent, Belgium. – presented on 20 August 2023.
Juraic, B. (2023). ‘The Stories from the Rehearsal Room: Deconstructing Yudai Kamisato’s Immigrant Ghost Stories.’ In: ‘The Stories We Tell – Myths, Mythmaking and Performance’ IFTR Annual Conference, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. – presented on 26 July 2023.
Juraic, B. (2023). ‘Crossing Borders: Embedded Research and Contemporary Japanese Theatre.’ In: NWCDTP PGRs Work-in Progress Conference. Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, UK. – presented on 6 June 2023
Juraic, B. (2023) Performance review: Kyoto Experiment: Re-thinking the Festival as a Constant Work-in-Progress. Critical Stages/Scènes critiques (27).
Juraic, B. (2023) ‘Tourist as the Other: The Aesthetics of Crossing Borders in Contemporary Japanese Theatre.’ In: 1st Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts Conference. Lancaster University, UK. Presented on 11 May 2023.
Juraic, B. (2023) Book review: Engeki – Japanese Theatre in the New Millenium Vol.5 and 6. Asian Theatre Journal, 40(1).
Juraic, B (2023). ‘Memory of Nanjing: Kamome Machine’s Experiments in Sharing Thoughts Through Body.’ In: 15th Colloquium of the Asian Theatre Working Group, IFTR – War, Memory, and Theatre in Asia. National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan. Presented on 18 February 2023. (incl. workshop presentation with Kamome Machine theatre company, Tokyo.)
Juraic, B. (2022). ‘Crossing Borders: Engaging with Contemporary Japanese Theatre.’ In: Conversations in Performance Studies: Performing Performance Research. University of Philippines- Diliman. Presented on 3 November 2022. (invited expert speaker)
Juraic, B. (2022). Theatre and Migration (演劇とマイグレーション). Kansai University. Lecture in Japanese and English delivered on 20 October 2022.
Juraic, B. (2022) ‘Demythologising Japanese cultural symbols in Yudai Kamisato’s Happy Prince Fish.’ In: Shifting Centres – In the Middle of Nowhere, IFTR World Congress, Reykjavik. – Presented on 22 June 2022 (pending publication)
Juraic, B. (2022) ‘The Art of Farting: Japanese Satire as a Deconstruction of Japanese Identity.’ In: Japanese Comedy Symposium. University of Salford, UK. – Presented on 10 March 2022 (hybrid)
Juraic, B. (2022). ‘Seeing through listening: Japanese immersive audio performances and engaging audiences in pandemic and post-pandemic context.’ In: 14th Colloquium of the Asian Theatre Working Group, IFTR: Towards a Post-COVID-19 Asian Theatres. University of Philippines- Diliman. – Presented on 4 March 2022 (online)