Abstract
In this article, through the lens of critical theory and collective theatre creation, we will look at how a group of homeless individuals in the city of Seville (Spain) has been able to assert their human rights using art. Through the words of the actors themselves, we will reveal the obstacles they face in accessing the city’s public sphere, and their deconstruction. By creating and producing plays, as well as interacting with the audience, the participants became not just actors, but citizens with rights. Collective theatre creation, as adapted by the authors within the context of their research in the field of social work, provides insights into how art has the power to become a strategy for helping those living on the fringes of mainstream society reclaim their place in it politically and culturally. This research has been made possible thanks to the commitment of the members of Teatro de la Inclusión, a theatre group and socio‐artistic project that ran for twelve years and allowed homeless individuals, tired of being passive subjects, dependent on external assistance and subject to endless bureaucracy, to become amateur actors. In doing so, they created for themselves dignified forums in which to express themselves within their city and put their communicative and artistic skills into practice.
Highlights
This article looks at the appropriation of public spaces in the city of Seville by a group of homeless individu‐ als, a process made possible by the use of theatrical productions created using the collective theatre creation method
We will begin by outlining the concepts on which this article is based, namely critical theory of human rights and collective theatre creation
The con‐ cept of the imaginary, as put forth by authors such as Castoriadis (1987), serves to demonstrate the potential of the theatre as a tool through which to give oppressed individuals a chance to express their worlds and assert their rights. In strategies such as the one presented in this article, the radical imaginary is harnessed in spaces for dialogue and participation, where oppressed indi‐ viduals, in our case homeless persons, are able to dis‐ cuss the causes and consequences of their spoiled iden‐ tities and the stigma they suffer on a daily basis (Goffman, 1990)
Summary
This article looks at the appropriation of public spaces in the city of Seville by a group of homeless individu‐ als, a process made possible by the use of theatrical productions created using the collective theatre creation method. The group allowed its homeless members to use art as a way of expressing their feelings of helplessness and exclusion, providing them with a tool with which to assert their rights, and grow and empower themselves. We will provide an overview of the plays writ‐ ten and performed over the twelve years during which the project ran These allowed actors to assert their rights, but were an opportunity for the audi‐ ence to find out about their plight. This use of collective theatre creation clearly showed just how effective it can be as a tool for fostering democratisation and bringing people together in the name of social transformation
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