Identifying, confronting and disrupting stereotypes: Role on the Wall in an intergenerational LGBTQ applied theatre project

Abstract

In New York City, LGBTQ people from different generations have had few opportunities to connect. They have splintered into age-segregated micro-communities, robbing them of opportunities to weave a common history and share strategies that community members have used to survive and thrive. Bridging the Gap was a community-based intergenerational theatre project designed to address this problem. It was developed and facilitated by a team of three candidates for The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Professional Studies’ MA in Applied Theatre. The project was a partnership between CUNY and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders) and culminated in a live performance of Step Right Up!, an original devised theatre piece. In this paper, we explore our application of the drama strategy, ‘Role on the Wall’, in an intergenerational LGBTQ context. Our various adaptations of the activity allowed for age-related stereotypes to be identified, confronted and disrupted. We further incorporated ‘Role on the Wall’ into the culminating performance. Our dramatisation of the perceptions revealed by ‘Role on the Wall’ allowed us not only to start a dialogue about pertinent subjects within our group, but also to share our dialogue with a wider audience during the performance.