Community-based Theatre Research Articles

Approaches to leading community-based theatre with the aim of wider and more diverse engagement

This article explores leadership and theories around the engagement of diverse communities in community-based theatre concluding with the proposal of a series of prevocational interrogative questions. Articulating these questions and the reasoning for them through documented UK-based participatory community-centric projects, with requisite theoretical frameworks, suggestions are made with regard to leadership and planning strategies in order to engage participants in projects that have meaning and purpose. In thinking about process over product it is argued that the strategic thinking needed for successful engagement must be interrogative and reflexive and take account of all stakeholders and the wider context of the project itself.

Disaster risk reduction on stage: An empirical evaluation of community-based theatre as risk communication tool for coastal risk mitigation and ecosystem-based adaptation

The Sendai Framework highlights the need for an all-of-society effort to reduce the societal burden of flooding, with a focus on those being disproportionately affected. In this context, community-based organizations shall contribute to and support public awareness, a culture of prevention and education on disaster risk. Participatory theatre could be a promising means to that end, but quantitative evaluations are currently lacking. We provide a systematic literature review on participatory theatre in the context of natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. Moreover, we quantitatively evaluate to what extent community-based theatre implemented by the Women's Union in Central Vietnam could contribute to public awareness and foster societal engagement. 10 theatre performances in five coastal communes were evaluated using pre- and post-performance surveys among 635 visitors, mainly women. We find that community-based theatre enhanced risk perceptions, perceived flood knowledge, self-efficacy, and the importance of social participation. No significant effect was found on intentions to engage in (collective) risk reducing behavior. We conclude that participatory theatre is an effective risk-communication tool for community-based organizations, which should be embedded in broader activities addressing societal resilience against flooding. Future research should explore the sustainability of the observed increases and the long-term dynamics of behavioral changes.

Passion or profession: the training of theatre directors in South Africa

This article explores director training in the context of contemporary South Africa. Through individual interviews with ten South African theatre directors, we explore their origins and inspirations towards becoming a director. The selected directors differ in their ways of working and their personal backgrounds, providing a diverse spectrum of profiles that highlight the different skills required by theatre directors. Together, these interviews reflect the reality of the theatre industry in South Africa, which is somewhat haphazard and fragmented. The interviews explore how most of the selected directors, working across the spectrum of formal, well-funded theatre and under-resourced, community-based theatre, have fallen into directing as a default position, rather than receiving specific directing training during their studies. In most cases, this has been born out of a necessity to create their own work as actors, or to produce their own scripts as writers. This practice reflects how South African theatre directors are often driven by their own passion rather than by the professional training provided for directors in other countries. Based on these experiences, and the needs within the theatre industry in South Africa, the article concludes with suggestions for curriculum reform for theatre directors in the context of the South.

SoloSIRENs Collective’s Cessair: Feminist Performed Ethnography

The SoloSIRENs Collective’s production Cessair, staged in South Dublin in the summer of 2021, represents the second production of this burgeoning company. The Collective is a community-based theatre group comprised of an all-female ensemble that has been creating together since 2019. For this production, it used the Irish myth of Cessair as a starting point to consider the female experience, and invited women from across the world to share their stories and lived experiences. Drawing on close observation of the devising process, analysis of the final production, and conversations with members of the Collective, this article argues that the production should be considered as an example of feminist performed ethnography.

Community-based theatre: Critical pedagogy for promoting social connectedness recovery in the post-pandemic era

The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has persisted for several years. After a period of prolonged social isolation, people may be especially vulnerable to developing issues, such as social withdrawal. Theatre has been utilised in some instances to inspire individuals to foster critical thinking and encourage them to lead a positive life. This study applies a community-based theatre test case to examine theatre practices within the framework of critical pedagogy to address emerging issues in the post-pandemic era. It aims to deliberate upon the ongoing process of the theatre workshop as well as the efficacy of theatrical approaches on an individual’s personal, interpersonal and sociological difficulties. This is meant to gain a better understanding of theatre practices that operate on the edge between critical pedagogy and sociocultural intervention. The findings suggest that community-based theatres effectively inspire participants to reflect on and take action to escape oppression. Therefore, it is an innovative strategy for promoting social connectedness while supporting post-pandemic responses. This study contributes to the theoretical, practical, and experiential development of critical pedagogy by providing support for individuals, groups, and the society.

La vida es sueño, de Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Versión de Virtudes Serrano

La vida es sueño, de Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Versión de Virtudes Serrano

Interactive community-based theatre to address social barriers to accessing reproductive health services in patriarchal societies: the case of Jordan

Interactive community-based theatre is used to engage with audience members and allow for free exchange of ideas relevant to context. It aims to bring about a new understanding of an issue while challenging people’s attitudes and perceptions. Its application within the field of sexual and reproductive health has been limited, particularly in low and middle-income contexts. This paper presents the rationale for a research-arts partnership in Jordan and describes the process and some lessons learned from the development and country-wide performances of a research-informed interactive play. The play, Mish ‘Ayb (Not a Shame) was designed to address social barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive services in a patriarchal society. The sensitive portrayal by Jordanian actors of real-life scenarios pertaining to specific health issues encouraged identification of the audience with the actors, thereby building trust. This process helped to uncover cultural norms that facilitate and impede people’s access to health services and information. Qualitative research designs that incorporate interactive theatre present a strong potential avenue to explore sensitive topics related to sexuality, particularly in patriarchal contexts.

Gender differences in youth attitudes towards suicide prevention during a community-based theater program

Background: To explore the differences in young adult male and female attitudes towards and motivations for suicide, beliefs about help-seeking behavior, and attitudes towards helping others to prevent suicide. Methods: In-depth interviews and focus groups with adolescent and young adult males and females (n = 50, ages 14–24) were conducted before and after a community-based play on suicide prevention. Two focus groups and 30 individual interviews (n = 50, 22 males, 28 females) were conducted before the intervention at one location, and 12 in-depth interviews (4 males, 8 females) were conducted with some of the same individuals after the play. The transcripts were coded by two independent coders for gender differences. Emergent categories were analyzed to identify differences in responses to issues surrounding suicide and depression. Results: Three key gender differences were found in communication styles around emotional vulnerabilities: (1) Females were more likely to talk about the importance of reaching out to others and giving counsel, while males were more likely to expect others in need to seek them out for help. (2) Females talked about psychological distress as something “everyone” experiences, while males tended to see their suffering as an individual phenomenon. (3) Females tended to advocate disclosure while males talked about the pressure not to talk about personal problems. Conclusions: Young males and females may need different coping strategies, and interventions, therefore, must be tailored to address the needs of each gender separately. Campaigns and programs specifically for men should address the barriers that men face with disclosure and help-seeking, and strategies should be sensitive to the expectations of heteronormative masculinity.

Re-creating the homeplace: more-than-human constellations and the political consequences of storytelling in central Appalachian community-based theatre

ABSTRACT This paper details ethnographic observation of the development and performance of a community-based theatre production in eastern Kentucky, titled The Homecoming. Participating in community-based theatre provides community members an opportunity to collaboratively, creatively tell the story of their place. In Central Appalachia, where the artform has over four decades of history, community-based plays regularly push back on damaging stereotypes and actively encourage open dialogue. Productions both highlight and demonstrate community members’ agency to imagine – and bring about – possible futures for what eastern Kentuckians call their ‘homeplace’. I mobilize literature from feminist geography, more-than-human geography, and Appalachian studies to frame an analysis of my ethnographic findings. I contend that the ‘homeplace’ emerges in the interplay between humans and the material world. Coal, pharmaceutical opioids, and organic vegetables populate and shape political identities, opinions, and dialogues, as political contention is navigated through narratives. I offer ‘constellations’ as a theoretical framing to help us think through these more-than-human politics, emphasizing human storytelling as one of many forces that shape those politics. I argue that the collaborative, reflexive process of storytelling utilized by community-based theatre has political and material consequence, changing how participants perceive and interact with themselves, each other, and their shared homeplace.

Hunger for Culture

The 2016 world premiere of Larissa FastHorse’s play Urban Rez, which Cornerstone Theater Company produced, presented a community-based theater experience in Los Angeles County (Tongva and Tataviam homelands). In this essay, our three co-authors utilize the concept of being a guest on Tongva land as a methodology to demonstrate Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans representation within Indigenous theater. Through the work of the playwright, cast, and crew, the Urban Rez narrative asserted self-representation in opposition to settler imaginaries through community-based participatory storytelling. Urban Rez represented a pivot in the current American Theater landscape and a continuation of Indigenous theater legacies. Our essay offers a cross-collaboration between three performers from Urban Rez that represent a wide breadth of academic experiences, performance backgrounds, and community organizing to discuss queer, Two-Spirt, and trans experiences. The co-authors discuss the legacy of counter-narratives in Native theater, demonstrate sovereignty in the play, and utilize queer theory to understand an Indigenous queer experience on stage better. We provide a reflexive co-authorship to assert relationality in the face of heteropatriarchy and contend with our hunger for culture. The co-authors recognize the Urban Rez experience as one of the first major Indigenous theater productions in Los Angeles that included queer, Two-Spirit, and transgender characters that rejected justifying representation from a deficit narrative.

Instructor's Manual: Single Carrot Theatre

Many arts organizations struggle to find long-term financial sustainability.[1] There are limited opportunities to build sustainable infrastructure and sources of long-term funding as organizations grow.[2] These risks are particularly challenging for organizations beyond the early startup phase that garner excitement and novelty. Single Carrot Theatre followed a traditional path of establishing a central theatre space for their operations, but unfortunately it created financial strain on the organization that almost resulted in permanent closure. With an established culture of innovation and a focus on artistic decision making, the company decided to implement an innovative organizational and artistic pivot. The company has successfully refined their mission to focus on site-specific and community-based theatre making. Although there were problems with public relations and limiting the perceived image of failure, the company was able to successfully retain a large portion of their patrons. Their nomadic structure lessened financial burdens, created an opportunity for new partners and funding sources and reestablished the company's unique brand of innovative theatre making. Early evidence suggests a recommitment of key stakeholders and potential for growing audiences in new ways. This case is designed to highlight how innovative arts entrepreneurs can pivot from traditional models of theatre and innovate financial success while remaining relevant and impactful to their audience.
 
 [1] “The Fundraising Report,” SMU DataArts, accessed January, 14, 2021, https://culturaldata.org/the-fundraising-report/the-fundraising-report-home/.
 [2] Ibid.

Peerformance: Bystanders Enacting and Challenging Gender Norms in Community-Based Theater to Prevent Domestic Violence.

This study examined the gender beliefs and norms expressed by South Asian community members when intervening as bystanders in Peerformance, a publicly performed scene depicting a husband's controlling behavior toward his wife enacted by a peer-led theater group. Using a grounded theory approach, inductive coding and reiterative visual analysis of videotaped bystander interactions revealed that, while most community members confronted the husband, beliefs about gender roles and relations impacted how these confrontations occurred. The complexity of gender norms in bystanders' interventions calls for sociocultural tailoring; bystander programs must attend to the rich, within-group variations in community members' attitudes and beliefs.

Even Mists Have Silver Linings: Promoting LGBTQ+ Acceptance and Solidarity through Community-Based Theatre in India

ObjectivesThis project aimed to assess the effectiveness of a community-based theatre intervention to improve attitudes towards and increase knowledge about LGBTQ+ communities among audiences in Mumbai, India. Study designThis study was a program evaluation using pre- and post-show surveys that incorporated an adapted version of The Riddle Scale: Attitudes Towards Difference and questions assessing self-reported knowledge about LGBTQ+-related issues to assess changes in attitudes and knowledge after viewing the theatre intervention. MethodsAn original 90-min devised play was created by a company of Indian, American, and Canadian theatre artists using Participatory Action Research methods and was designed to bring audiences to a deeper understanding of LGBTQ+ identity. The show was performed four times in Mumbai, India, and pre-/post-show surveys were collected at each performance. Audience survey responses were analysed using parametric and non-parametric descriptive statistics as appropriate, and Likert scale questions were compared using Wilcoxon Signed Rank for non-parametric data. ResultsA total 184 surveys were completed across four performances between March 7 and 14, 2020. Significant increases in audiences’ self-reported knowledge of LGBTQ+ identity, impacts of discrimination, and struggles faced by LGBTQ+ communities were reported after viewing the show. Furthermore, attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights, understanding of the challenges of being LGBTQ+ in India, and recognition of the contributions LGBTQ+ individuals make to society improved significantly among our audiences after test. The play further fostered increased acceptance of prosocial behaviours towards LGBTQ+ individuals with higher percentages of audiences recognizing the importance of standing up to homophobia and anti-gay attitudes. While these observations were seen across audiences, they were particularly pronounced among cisgender heterosexual men and audiences ages 18–24. ConclusionCommunity-based theatre intervention is highly acceptable and effective as a medium for informing positive attitudes, improving knowledge, and promoting acceptance of and solidarity towards LGBTQ+ communities among young adult heterosexual audiences.

‘When my home is your business’: Transforming stories of housing in a post-industrial city

This article examines how performance-oriented arts practice with members of socially marginalised communities can be harnessed as a mode of grassroots civic participation, one that can transgress the expected norms of public communication that render some stories and speakers legitimate, and some not. The article will offer an analysis of a community-based theatre project that took place with a small group of high-rise tenants living in the mid-sized post-industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The project involved bringing together participants at risk of involuntary loss of housing due to increased gentrification. With a view to advancing a theoretical understanding of how adult educators can employ artistic practice to produce critical and public facing community-based pedagogies, the article engages with contemporary discussions related to the arts, public pedagogy and urban rejuvenation.

Our Neighbor Shakespeare

In an introduction to this special issue, we call for scholarly attention to Shakespeare's local habitations, arguing for the potential of regional Shakespeares to expand our field. We situate the study of regional Shakespeares in the continental United States among several related scholarly discourses: critical regionalism, global Shakespeare, adaptation studies, the "amateur turn" in performance studies, and interest in the methodologies of community-based theater. We chart the emergence of scholarship calling for a more localized, grassroots encounter with Shakespeare and introduce the scholarly, pedagogical, and political possibilities that this work makes available. We explore the limitations and possibilities of various definitions of regionality and identify five central investments shared by regional productions: material contact, interpersonal connections, the internal diversity of regions, connection to global and national concerns, and the ways Shakespeare and the region shape each other. Studying regional Shakespeare has an ethical dimension as it requires us to invest in our own local communities, enabling political and interpersonal care. This act of care is not tangential to the intellectual task of understanding Shakespeare's participation in a region, but central to it. Scholars of regional Shakespeare partner with practitioners and companies in the creative work of a community's self-becoming. Regional Shakespeare challenges the implicit assumption that Shakespeare is an outside observer who comments on a region. Instead, in the hands of regional artists and audiences, Shakespeare both is rendered local, and aids in rendering the local.

Bridges Don’t Make Themselves: Using Community-Based Theater to Reshape Relationships: Rethinking the Idea of Abundance in ABCD

Community-based theater has a variety of manifestations, and the plurality with which these manifestations are occurring is increasing. As such, the diversity and complexity derived from these social sites of public engagement requires further understanding. This article is based upon a multi-case study of two community-based theaters: one in Middle Appalachia, and the other on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Together these sites of performative expression are acting as social interventions for differing reasons within their respective contexts. Through intensive and communicative processes, the theaters provide examples of how co-created performances at the community level simultaneously catalyze relationships and alter how relationships are experienced to engage community members in discussion and performances. As a complex behavioral interaction, the two theaters simultaneously manifest dimensions of ‘abundance’, as well as expand upon normative conceptions of asset-based community development. Through process and contextual modeling, the work provides in-depth exploration to these interpersonal endeavors to assist in how socio-cultural differences as well as narrative reconstruction co-join to enact the individuality of identity across working groups as an overall discursive process.

Who dis ... new phone: Considering engaged intergenerational storytelling: partnership, participation and pandemic

ABSTRACT This essay takes as its starting point a creative aging project in partnership with the Mesa Arts Center’s, Art in Mind Program; TimeSlips (founded by MacArthur Fellow Ann Basting); and a Projects in Community-Based Theatre graduate course at Arizona State University within the Theatre for Youth and Community MFA and PhD programs. This non-memory-based storytelling collaboration focused on elders living with memory loss and/or dementia and centered a core theatre for youth value — all humans deserve to participate in creative and cultural life no matter their age, neuro-cognitive or physical abilities. A parallel focus of the collaboration was the belief that such creative engagements also allow elder-care systems and families to benefit from participating with their residents and loved-ones — impacting adaptive and expressive creativity, emotional connections, and joyful participation in imaginative life.

“Fear of what we don’t know”: Grappling with diversity in a youth theatre program

ABSTRACT This article examines how youth participants in a community-based theatre program confronted and grappled with issues of diversity and difference while rehearsing and performing a play about Ruby Bridges and school desegregation. It draws on data from an ethnographic study examining ways in which an interracial, intergenerational cast perform work about the Civil Rights movement. The research explicates how artistic practice can be used as a tool to name social injustices and to counteract educational contexts that reproduce inequality. It contributes to the knowledge base of out-of-school learning contexts that inform contemporary approaches to learning in the arts.

Sexy till I die: What applied theatre can offer in approaches to sexual health

Abstract For older adults in Canada, too often shame and silence describe their experiences of sexual health. With more citizens over the age of 65 than ever before and increasing rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in older adults, we are facing a serious issue. Applied theatre offers an innovative approach to deconstructing social stigma in sexuality across the life course, whereby new understandings and perceptions may emerge for people of all ages. The usefulness, gaps and application of three different approaches to sexual health issues are examined to highlight innovations in addressing sexual health and critique ageist, sexist and heteronormative assumptions through a feminist, critical pedagogy lens. The analysis culminates in a proposed outline for an intergenerational, community-based theatre project to address the social stigma of sexuality across the life course entitled You're Doing What?! At Your Age?!

Return to the Nile: Celebratory theatre as cultural resistance

Abstract This article explores celebratory applied theatre initiatives to reckon with what Prentki and Pammenter (2014) describe as the erosion of our values and integrity as educators and practitioners caught in a capitalist neoliberal labyrinth. The authors use their Return to the Nile project, a community-based theatre initiative implemented with immigrant and refugee communities, to discuss a model of participatory research that redefines the role of student co-creators in staging a reimagined version of this community's narratives of struggle and trauma. At the heart of this exploration is an understanding of the creative team's implication in these narratives, and an ability to grapple with how to become 'foolish witnesses' (Salverson 2006).