Story Circles: A conversation on Black Feminist theatre practices drawn from creating the play ‘Postcards: Bodily preserves’

Abstract

abstract The world is characterised by polarisation and distrust; there is a need for research that humanises others through narrative, everyday performances and empathy. This article, framed as a conversation aims to look at the creation and performance of the play, ‘Postcards: Bodily preserves’, as a Black Feminist theatre aesthetic. We depart from the question: What does a Black Feminist theatre aesthetic look like? Through the exchange, we examine the process of directing using Black Feminist theatre tools. We collectively look at the choices we make when we intentionally embody Black Feminist theory in the rehearsal room. More importantly, we examine how the work we do, de-centres the power of the director in the room. We use Story Circles, a performative story-making model, to guide the reflection. In addition to our recollections, we argue that Story Circles is a form of Black Feminist theatre aesthetic that captures our dynamic, multilingual ways of creating. It is an aesthetic grounded in the fundamental belief that artistic practice and critical reflection can spark lasting political change.