Ethnodrama with Hong Kong problem gamblers and their family: between ethnographic reality and dramatic fiction

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis Hong Kong project features recovering gambling addicts and their family. During the research, devising and performance sessions were observed, and actors, audience members, artists, and social workers were interviewed. The performing gamblers presented stressful and distressing stories in which their partners struggled to maintain the family while suffering from long-term financial and emotional crisis. Audience members expressed positive views on the value of ethnodrama, including the artistic quality of the performance. The research also focused on the role of the researcher-cum-playwright in the process of creating ethnodrama, highlighting the need to carefully navigate the relationship between reality and fiction.