Applied Theatre: Participation - Dr Taiwo Afolabi;Prof Michael Balfour

This book explores and critiques the concept of participation in applied theatre both theoretically and practically.

Participation is one of the concepts central to applied theatre practice, but it’s mostly considered when engaging with communities in applied theatre, while the term itself is under-theorized in applied theatre discourses. This study examines and unpacks participation as a tool to foster community engagement and decolonize research and knowledge production in applied theatre practice, especially regarding representation, equity and access.

What does participation even mean? What are the new and existing paradigms and frameworks in participation discourses? How do these frameworks impact participation from ethical, sociocultural, economic and aesthetic perspectives? And in what ways can applied theatre practitioners re-conceptualize and re-position participation meaningfully in their work? Through case studies drawn from a diverse range of places including Kenya, Brazil and Canada, this book presents discourses on and experiences of participation for the purpose of repositioning it.