This book examines applied theatre projects that bring together diverse groups and foster intercultural dialogue. Based on five case studies and informed by play theory, it argues that the playful elements of theatre processes nurture a unique intimacy among diverse people. However, this playful quality can also dampen explicit conversations about participants’ cultural differences, and defer an interrogation of people’s own entrenchment in systemic power imbalances. As a result, addressing these differences and imbalances in applied theatre contexts may require particular strategies.
Author(s): Elliot Leffler
Series: Palgrave Studies In Play, Performance, Learning, and Development
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 217
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Praise for Applied Theatre and Intercultural Dialogue
Contents
About the Author
A Note on Images
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Applied Theatre and Intercultural Dialogue
Play
The Case Studies
A Facilitator, an Ethnographer, a White American Man
Works Cited
Chapter 2: “Stepping Out”: The Physical Play and Incorporeal Dialogue of Applied Theatre Processes
Moment #1: On the Alterity of the Duel
Moment #2: The Incorporeality of Image-Making
Moment #3: The Collective Play of Viewpointing
Moment #4: The Creative Intimacy of the Audible Circle
Conclusion
Works Cited
Chapter 3: Role-Play: Performing Variability, Embracing Communitas, and Obfuscating Racial Tension
From Physical Play to Role-Play: The Arc of the Drama Program
Creative Intimacy as a Roadblock to Dialogue
A Gentle Nudge
Final Thoughts on the “Big House”
Works Cited
Chapter 4: It’s Personal: Autobiographical Stories as Catalysts for Playful Dialogue
Subterranean Dialogue: An Introduction
Cultivating Play at Central High School
The Pursuit of “Authenticity”
“Genuine Dialogue”
The Push
Privileging the Personal (over the Systemic)
Reaching for the Systemic
Works Cited
Chapter 5: Mythical Play: Embodying the Epic
Sustaining Tension in Abraham’s House
Shielded from Scrutiny
Beyond the Abraham Story: A Pattern of Identifying Inequity
Pivoting Back
Conclusion
Works Cited
Chapter 6: Punctured Play: A Dramaturgy of Absorption, Interruption, and Interrogation
Introduction: Stumbling into Forum Theatre, Discovering an Impassioned Voice
A Forum for Interrupted Play
Playful Transformations
An Interruptive Discussion
A Dramaturgy of Absorption, Interruption, and Interrogation
Works Cited
Chapter 7: Epilogue: Beyond Theatre
Setting Out: Anxiety and Avoidance
Pushing Against Dominant Choreographies: “Tell Me Who You Are”
The First Ritual
The Second Ritual
Play, Ritual, Theatre, and Dialogue
Works Cited
A Post-script: On Organizational Journeys
References
Index
