Developing a dramatic analysis of conflict transformation: in what way can Stanislavski’s magic ‘if’ be a stimulus to peacebuilding?

Abstract

ABSTRACT“Relationship, paradoxical curiosity, creativity and risk” are four elements identified John Paul Lederach as necessary for peacebuilding and conflict transformation. The ability to imagine a web of relationships, to be curious about people and their lives as well as being able to image the “other” and take risks are all qualities actors learn through studying Stanislavski’s methodology. Based on the first stage of a research project with LAMDA acting students in their second year of drama training this paper explores what Stanislavski’s teachings of “given circumstances” and the magic “if” can contribute to the world of conflict transformation. Actors learn to transfer their skills and apply them to work outside the theatre context, which in turn help them reflect on their own development as actors. This paper investigates the intersection of Stanislavski-based actor training and peacebuilding discovering actors’ transferable skills and exploring areas such as the multiple perspectives and complex interrelated dynamics of conflict, our positionality, the potential to transform interdependent relationships, and the tools to analyse and transform narratives. It examines how the magic “if” can stimulate deeper understanding and help make the imaginative creative leap necessary to find transcendent solutions to complex conflicts.