The paper presents the Asseblywomen Project, conducted by Papalangki Theatre Company during 2020-2021 at the Women's Prison in Eleonas (Greece). Using as rehearsal material the comedy play "The Assemblywomen" by Aristophanes, the project aimed to encourage the participation of ex-drug addicted inmate women at the rehabilitation process,…

This article considers Bolton based community drama group, Melodramatics, and the ways in which their practice helps illuminate forms of relational activity that confront the nihilism of the resilient subject. If we accept resilience as a normative force that restricts the ability of the political subject to 'become otherwise', we are invited to…

This article argues that making dance performance is a resourceful means of self-production that is an aspect of resilience, through interrelationship, and that making dance is an act of resilience in the context of the social, cultural, and historical struggle that continues in the lives of people with learning disabilities. The argument is made…

I began my life as a prison theatre artist 25 years ago. Over the years, through first-hand experience with prisoners, their families, and others, I came to understand some of the more oppressive elements of the state prison system, and the relation of that system to the larger prison-industrial complex. This essay is a reflection on the key…

Those who champion Inclusive Research techniques have often viewed the role of the 'sympathetic researcher' in studies that engage people with learning disabilities with suspicion. I argue that the rejection of this role is based on a simplistic view of empowerment, and risks reinforcing power hierarchies between researcher and subject. This…

Child sexual abuse is a cross-cultural issue that can be found in all social institutions. There is increasing awareness of how this issue affects children in Malaysia. Issues pertaining to child sexual abuse can be addressed if children are empowered with preventive skills to avoid becoming victims of sexual crimes. In this paper, I examine how…

The article elucidates the theatre-making methodology of Shyambazar Blind Opera House, Kolkata (SBO); a group theatre troupe made up of members of the visually impaired community. The initiative uses theatre as an experimental tool to facilitate personal, social, and cultural development, and is the first of its kind in Bengal. The composite…

Many youth struggle to determine their role and cope with overwhelming emotions and imaginative dystopias around combatting climate catastrophe and capitalist greed. In this time when many marginalised youth feel assured of immediate and distant threat, it is vital for applied theatre practitioners and educators to nurture critical hope as a means…

In this article, we question the unilateral discourse of benefit of participation in participatory refugee theatre in the context of a growing socio-political climate of polarisation and stigmatisation of refugees in European countries of resettlement. By integrating critical voices from the fields of applied theatre and refugee research, we…

Personal stories have been utilised in a variety of ways in Applied Theatre practices. The author problematises their use when the teller's safety is at stake within a given context. Inspired by neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor's process of enlightenment through observing her stroke from the inside out, the author uses her personal experience of…

Speckled Egg Dance was established in Galway, Ireland, in 2013, to facilitate opportunities for learning disabled dance artists to develop semi-professional dance skills and independent choreographic practice. The company aims to contest normative perceptions of learning disabled dance ability, and to make learning disabled dance aesthetics…

This article provides a brief snapshot of a girls school in Northern India called Prerna. Girls in India are unwanted, unequal and unsafe. Every year a million of them are killed in the womb. One third of the world's child brides (read "girl slaves") are in India. They live their lives in a grim, complex context where, gender, poverty…

This case study investigates the working conditions of a mixed theatre group and its impact on its disabled members. The qualitative research aims to explore the impact of drama work, rehearsals and performances on the disabled members' social skills, and behavioural and emotional difficulties. Data collection methods included semi-structured…

About 60% of Nigerians live in rural areas with poor access roads and health facilities, near-absent communication media, unemployment, alienation and disempowerment by the political leadership. This scenario has excluded the rural Nigerian from meaningful participation in development action. A bottom-up participatory approach to…

This article reviews "Everyday Theatre", an interactive applied theatre project from Auckland based company Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd., which explores the dynamics of family relationships and touches obliquely on issues of abuse and violence. The article looks at the form, strategies and processes of "Everyday Theatre"…