Drenched in Victory, Facing Drought: Staging Transitions in Myanmar's Performing Arts

Since 2011, Myanmar's military government has been shifting toward civilian leadership, and in the 2015 elections the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi won a decisive victory, though she was not able to assume the role of prime minister. This indicates that there are still many steps in the process toward guaranteeing civil liberties for all Myanmar citizens. Theatre, music, dance, and performance art during the past four years reveal both the eager hopefulness for more freedoms and the fears of sectarian violence as the impoverished country emerges from more than fifty years of exploitative misrule. Relaxation of laws governing public assembly and expression has encouraged cross-cultural collaboration, productions by minority religions, deeper probing of social injustices, new interest in Shakespearean plays, greater outreach to remote populations, and the establishment of new international festivals. Myanmar is undergoing an artistic as well as sociopolitical transition, and performing artists are challenged to be both reflective and guiding forces to meet the needs of the great diversity of its peoples.