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14 | Scene | 2010-11 April Issue 3 & 4

Applied theatre, both the term andthe movement, has been steadily gainingmomentum over the years despite whatoften appears to be a lack of clarity onwhat it actually is. Applied Theatre is anumbrella term that encompasses a rangeof theatre practices from Theatre of theOppressed to Museum Theatre, PrisonTheatre to Intergenerational Arts, ConflictResolution to Applied Puppetry. What allthese practices have in common is theirconcern with personal and socialchange, how they can help communitiesto question themselves and the world inwhich they live. In other words AppliedTheatre stems from a basic desire tochange and/or transform humanbehavior and thinking through themedium of theatre. Of course not all thepractices encompassed are always usedin an applied theatre context, rather theyall have elements that allow them to bepracticed in this way.

Examples of different practicesused in applied theatre:• Dramatherapy • Theatre of the Oppressed• Prison Theatre• Heritage Site based Theatre• Dilemma Plays• Community theatre • Reminiscence Theatre• Carnival• Psycho-drama• Storytelling• Theatre for development• Playback theatre • Museum theatre • Archive theatre• Intergenerational Arts• Theatre in Education• Applied Puppetry• Intercultural Arts• Conflict Resolution

While the term ‘Applied Theatre’emerged in the 1990s – a developmentfrom work in Theatre in Education andProcess Theatre – there is no realconsensus about what it is. However it isrecognized that the various forms oftheatre, each with their own theories andpractices, all aspire to use drama toimprove the lives of individuals andsocieties. As such it is not uncommonthat applied theatre work will draw onother practices outside of the world oftheatre (such as psychology,

anthropology, sociology and education)making it simultaneously aninterdisciplinary and hybrid practice.

Discussion has also frequentlycentred on the process versusperformance nature of applied theatre.Over the years there has developed ageneral acceptance that ‘process’ workis labelled applied drama while‘performance’ work is applied theatre.However these terms are often usedintermittently not least because processwork often leads to performance, orperformance is used to open thedialogue into process work.

“Good Applied Theatre aims todevise roles and situations thatexplore the human condition, not asa way of answering the problems ofthe world but to help develop aperspective on the world and tounderstand or at least struggle withthe perspective of others as wemove towards a sense of socialjustice and equity…applied theatreoperates as a reflective encounter,but simultaneously it is atransformative encounter that canhelp change or alter humanperceptions of the world. “(Philip Taylor, Applied Theatre,Heinemann 2003)

Philip Taylor further states that‘applied theatre is powered by a need tochange, (it) opens up new perspectives,poses options and anticipates change’.Taylor refers to the diversity of purposeinvolved in applied theatre, highlightingfive areas:1. Raising awareness (e.g. about

AIDS, starvation in Africa)2. Posing alternatives / teaching

concepts (e.g. looking at behaviourpatterns as a result often of ‘stuck’situations such as gang mentality,peer pressure, substance abuse)

3. Healing psychological wounds /barriers / fractured identities (e.g.bereavement, post-trauma)

4. An interrogation of human actions/ Challenging contemporarydiscourses (e.g. homophobia,racism, classism)

5. Voicing the views of the silent ormarginal and change states ofoppression (e.g. bullying, domesticabuse)

While all this may seem veryinteresting in theory it begs the question:how does applied theatre work in theclassroom? It may feel out of reach or atodds with the curriculum being taught,demanding a role of teacher andstudents that neither is equipped to fulfil.However that is one of the greatmisconceptions of applied theatre andthe first step to embedding it into atheatre programme is realising that it isprobably already there in various formatsand to varying levels.

Looking at the list of practices above,a list that is not exhaustive by anymeans, ask yourself how many of thesepractices are already in your courses.How often do we teach our students thattheatre is about more than‘performance’? Students of appliedtheatre quickly learn that it does notallow for passivity and uncriticalconsumerism; it demands reflection,interrogation, and most of all, action.Applied theatre makes manifest the useof theatre for extra-theatrical purposes,where extra theatrical can refer to suchthings as education, social change andcommunity building. It incorporatesvarying forms of theatre and drama topresent to both traditional and non-traditional audiences in formal andinformal locations and in alternativespaces. In this way, applied theatreaddresses the ways theatre can be anagent for change, empowerment,enablement and transformation.

So how might applied theatre beused in the classroom? The firstquestions to ask are: What is theproject? Who is it for? And… Who is theaudience? In other words are you using itto tackle a class issue, a school issue, toprepare an issue-based performance, orworkshop issues, is it for aclass/school/external audience? Next it iskey to remember that applied theatrerequires certain things:

Participation: Audienceparticipation is critical to the successof the work. As a result participantautonomy is essential as opposed toa mindless state in whichinstructions must be obeyed,otherwise participants will beunthinking.Co-development: There must be a

APPLIED THEATRE: The mystery unraveled� By Jennifer Hartley

Scene | 2010-11 April Issue 3 & 4 | 15

partnership between educators andparticipants and any project isdeveloped hand-in-hand.Open-endedness: The idea is toraise question not provide definitiveanswers. Participants are encouraged todiscuss/brainstorm/interrogate /question/be aware of differentperspectives – look with newlenses/debate/dialogue/reflect/transform/act/create their own understanding. They will leave withquestions: questions about themselves, situations, the world inwhich they live…Purpose: Know what your reason isfor using applied theatre. It isdangerous to try to work out the reason while a project is underwayand will risk it becoming a ‘theatre’project as opposed to an ‘appliedTheatre’ one.Flexibility: Objectives may changeas the project develops. While youmay begin a project with clearobjectives, the needs and desires ofthe participants may change.Moreover once the project isunderway it may throw up thingsthat need to be worked with whichdiffer from the original objectives.

You may be wondering what kind ofprojects might come under appliedtheatre. Below are examples of some wehave carried out within a school andclassroom setting: 1. A project about self-image that

culminated in a forum theatrepresentation for the school. Leadingup to the performance students usedimage theatre first to establishunderstanding and trust to be able toopenly discuss certain issues.

2. A school dealing with lack ofintegration among the students dueto racial and cultural issues developsa project over two terms based on abetter understanding of the situationfor staff, students and parents. Allparticipate in different stages of theproject and get to discuss their viewsthrough the project work. Finally thesame play is staged three times –each time from a different point ofview, that of the students, the staffand the families involved.

3. An educational project to explore peerpressure and understanding aboutsexual issues. The project looked atsafe sex issues, sexual orientationand the ways in which the subject isapproached with young people andwhy they were often reluctant to listento the standard approach.

4. A bullying project in a schooldesigned to explore attitudes andreasons behind concepts of bullying.The project explored the ideas ofvictim and perpetrator and the dangerof labeling and/or stereotyping. It alsolooked at alternative behaviours andapproaches.

5. A bereavement project after a suicideincident in a school. This project wasmultifaceted in that the initial objectivescentred around bereavementcounseling but quickly changed tolooking at teenage pressures,alternatives to dealing with thatpressure, guilt and our basic humanneed to understand everything andneatly package it in a way that seemsacceptable. Seniors went on to createinteractive performances with juniors.

6. An intergenerational project workingwith history and CAS (Community,Action, Service) aiming to understandaspects of World War II and the ColdWar. This was working with a home forthe elderly, school students and a localmuseum. Objectives centred on agreater understanding of these periodsand giving value to the ‘voices’ whohad survived it. The culmination was ateaching performance in the museumwhich worked through time periodsallowing the youth and the elderly toportray the same roles from differenttime perspectives.Looking at the projects mentioned

above generally they all have some kindof ‘issue’ as the driving force. Howeveran issue can equally be used as a meansof teaching the various stages in anapplied theatre project. In this way theimaginary world of applied theatrebecomes a potent medium forparticipants to explore the real world;rather than the applied theatre being anescape, it is grounded in real-lifeexperiences. Project based appliedtheatre/drama may or may not lead toperformance. The ideas mentioned abovecome from a strong foundation of theissue being dealt with and performancebeing an ‘extra’ or ‘culmination’ to theproject. However not all applied theatreprojects come from this angle.

The ‘What happened next?’ (WHN?)project was established two years ago tolook at the roles of audience, director,actor and writer. It questioned the placeof each in a participatory theatre and thevoice each should be given, particularlyin a theatre tradition that often silencesthe audience by reducing them tospectator role with the only form offeedback coming as applause, or lacktherein. WHN? was an initiative to breakdown the writing process and make thewriters directly answerable to their

audience. The project was based onperformance at each stage, with theaudience being invited to speak out andget up and act as they offered their ideasfor development and their commentaries.It also served for the audience to learnhow to critically reflect on what they wereseeing.

A sample advertisement for a schoolversion of WHN?

What happened next?

Five writers.Five directors.Five scripts.Five weeks.

Have you ever walked away from aplay wondering ‘What happened

next?’Have you ever sat through a play

wishing you could change the story? Have you ever sat there thinking ‘I

could have done a better job’?

Well here is your chance to have yoursay and get involved. Each week we

get a 5-minute installment of adeveloping play. Each week theaudience will get their chance to

comment on and change what theyhave seen and where they think it is

heading.

Five writers are being asked to writefive minutes of a 25 minute scriptand over 5 weeks the same scriptwill develop each month leaving uswith five 25 minute complete plays.Each month is a strict five-minute

piece and the next week iscontinuing from where we left off.The audience will play a role eachmonth in helping experiment with

ideas and in that way help move thestory in the direction they would liketo see it go, although ultimately the

writer decides ‘what happenednext?’ you can influence his/her

decision and change the outcome.

Before starting any applied theatreproject ask yourself the followingquestions:1. Who is the audience for the applied

theatre?2. What does the applied theatre project

aim to achieve?3. How can the applied theatre be

designed to meet the needs of theaudience?

4. How will you ensure participants haveownership of the project?

5. Is there going to be a performativeelement for a wider audience?

6. What ethics need to be considered?

16 | Scene | 2010-11 April Issue 3 & 4

7. How will reflection be built into theproject?If you look at the projects mentioned

above, the approach and the exercisesused will vary depending on who theaudience is and why the project is beingcreated. Always ask yourself who areyour participants and never forget thatthey must take ownership of the project.Remember that you are working towardsincomplete moments even when aperformance is involved. Incompletenessis essential or it becomes a didacticapproach where answers or preferredcourses of action have been decidedbeforehand and are being presented andsolutions appear definitive. Theteacher/joker/facilitator must neverimpose their own solutions but rather bethe vehicle through which others canopen up and express their ideas. Ofcourse with any group that means amultiple of ideas may be presented, eachwith their own consequences but that isbecause there are multiple perspectivesand every project should embrace suchmultiplicity and develop a framework inwhich it can be presented.

Reflection is key to all applied theatrepractice. It is critical because itdemonstrates that you are asking what is

happening at any given point as youimplement the work. Reflection does notcome in at the end of the project as ameans of evaluation, rather it isconsistent and sustained throughout asthe work is in a constant state ofdevelopment and even flux.

Philip Taylor has outlined a set ofprinciples for planning an applied theatreproject and these have been adoptedand indeed adapted by practitionersworldwide. By following these planningguidelines you can help ensure that anyproject embraces the ethos behind thepractice.

The traditional view of theory andpractice is that theory equals theintellectualizing, the not doing, thethinking about, while practice was aboutthe doing, the active aspect, theprocess. The word praxis brings thesetwo aspects - theory and practice -together, seeing both as part of acomplex dynamic encounter. Praxis is atthe heart of all applied theatre work, as

the theory and practice are developedsimultaneously to bring abouttransformation. Applied theatre istransformative in nature, even if thatchange is not what we expected, orassumed, even if that change is notevident to us at the close of the project.

A final word on the topic of ethics. Thevery nature of applied theatre means thatcertain ethical questions will always haveto be taken into consideration. Havingsaid that, any theatre practitioner shouldalways be asking themselves certainethical questions; the difference liesperhaps in the consequences ifconsideration and planning has not beengiven to this area. Ethically it is essential toremember that a critical element in thesuccess of an applied theatre programmeis that the group defines the territory to becovered from the start. Emphasis must beon the fact that we are not seeking tosolve problems but to raise questions,there are no judgements brought to theissue and multiple perspectives areneeded without the teacher/facilitatorimposing their own judgement and/ or aparticular point of view. Suggested Reading ListIf you are interested in finding out moreabout Applied Theatre and how to use it inyour own practice I recommend the titlesbelow:Blatner, Adam: Interactive andImprovisational Drama: Varieties of AppliedTheatre and Performance. iUniverse.com(2007)Nicholson, Helen: Applied Drama (Theatre& Performance Practices). Macmillan(2005)Prendergast, M. & Saxton, J: AppliedTheatre: International Case Studies andChallenges for Practice. Intellect Books (2009)Prentki, T. & Preston, S.: Applied TheatreReader. Routledge (2008)Taylor, Philip: Applied Theatre: CreatingTransformative Encounters in theCommunityHeinemann. (2003)Thompson, James: Digging Up Stories:Applied Theatre, Performance andWar. Manchester University Press.(2006)

Taylor’s Principles for planningApplied theatre

1. Applied theatre is thoroughlyresearched

2. Applied theatre seeksincompleteness

3. Applied theatre demonstratespossible narratives

4. Applied theatre is task-oriented5. Applied theatre poses dilemmas6. Applied theatre interrogates

futures7. Applied theatre is an aesthetic

medium8. Applied theatre gives voice to

communities(Philip Taylor, Applied Theatre,Heinemann 2003)

Things to think about:Is applied theatre moral/ethical? Whatmakes applied theatre an ethicaltheatre?In other words, what are the moralvalues informing the choices andthe implementation of the

programme/project?Are we seeking conformity throughsuch practice?Whose standard is the applied theatreenforcing?When rendering people’s life storiesinto the dramatic medium, must certain confidentialities andassurances be given?Should raising emotions be a purposeof applied theatre?Applied theatre might leaveparticipants with more questions thananswers –How can that be catered for?Who is the project serving?How do you build an ethicalframework? What kind of follow work is needed?

“I've made some friends that I will keep in touch with for many years to come because theyhave inspired me to do my best and also encourage me in a craft that they also adore.” Student

“I think ISTA was amazing. It is a fun way to explore the theatrical mind of a child. Theexperiences we shared as an ensemble were extremely memorable…we got to express our innertalents in a sophisticated way.” Student

“The only problem with ISTA is that the festival is not long enough.” Student