http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75073 2026-04-11T04:29:17Z 2026-04-11T04:29:17Z Midhin, Majeed Mohammed Farhan, Samer Abid Rasheed http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75297 2025-08-28T19:45:37Z 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The Healing Power of Theatre in Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good Authors: Midhin, Majeed Mohammed; Farhan, Samer Abid Rasheed Abstract: Recently, theatre is not only used to entertain and enlighten people but also to heal. The old shaman role finds its way in the theatre of the world today. Theatre in prison is highly manipulated by playwrights to intervene with the tools and expertise they possess. This can be clearly shown in contemporary theatre especially theatre of Timberlake Wertenbaker. In Our Country’s Good, the role of the theatre is celebrated as a place where lost voices are regained and heard. For Wertenbaker, theatre has the incentive “to make one listen” (1999). Though the play is about community, or applied theatre, it is also a journey of personal discovery. The artist figures are writers and actors. Phillip, who is aware of the power of theatre, asks Ralph to write and direct parts of George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer to be acted out by convicts. Though unprofessional actors, the participants prove to be genuine. Obviously, there are some fascinating female characters in Our Country’s Good, who again find that they have acting skills. Mary Brenham, for example, who starts out as passive in the first scene, takes the main role in the play within the play. Her engagement with the theatre helps her to find her voice. Similarly, Liz Morden, an aggressive girl, finds a way to speak and communicate with other people which was impossible for her initially. For her, theatre becomes a way of expressing herself and her situation. In this paper, I am going to see how Wertenbaker used theatre as a healing power for those who are psychologically and socially isolated. Though theatre in prison is not something new, what is fascinating about Wertenbaker is the use of underrepresented female character who is marginalised to do a play by which she finds her cultural voice.

2019-12-01T00:00:00Z Pinchin, William http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75296 2025-08-28T19:44:31Z 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The Shadow of the Neutral Mask: A Jungian Examination of Lecoq-based Neutral Mask Praxis Authors: Pinchin, William Abstract: “Psychology” functions as the largest taboo within the renowned pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq; or, in Jungian terms, ‘psychology’ itself becomes the unconscious shadow within Lecoq’s teaching. Carl Jung defines the shadow as: “the thing a person has no wish to be” (Jung, 1966, p. 262). And yet, as with all aspects of the shadow, those elements are indeed a part of the individual (or in this case the pedagogy). This paper will argue that the teaching of Lecoq is indeed highly psychological, drawing comparisons between the theories of Lecoq and Jung, examining a connection between Jung’s theory of a collective unconscious and Lecoq’s understanding of a “universal poetic sense”; exploring their view of the Self, and outlining the movement from general to particular which is the key to both Jung’s understanding of the individuation process as well as Lecoq’s progression through an extended series of masks. Highlighting the work of contemporary teachers like Thomas Prattki, I offer a (re)evaluation of neutral mask praxis, a journey into the landscape of an unconscious psyche, and an encounter with an archetypal image of Self.

2019-12-01T00:00:00Z Fisher, Teresa A. http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75295 2025-08-28T19:43:33Z 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Bad Facilitation or the Wrong Approach?: Unpacking the Failure of a Theatre for Health Project Authors: Fisher, Teresa A. Abstract: The importance of choosing a suitable applied theatre approach and facilitator is clear for the success of such projects, but what criteria are used to determine whether the use of theatre is appropriate, the selected approach is best, and who should facilitate these projects? In this article, the author explores the failure of a theatre for health project to determine whether the failure was due to choosing the wrong approach or to poor facilitation. Through that discussion, the role of facilitation in theatre for health and the larger applied theatre field is explored. The author uses her own facilitation experience to illustrate challenges to facilitation that training and experience may not adequately address. Also briefly discussed is how practitioners determine if a theatre for health approach is the best option or not for their projects. Finally, the author also discusses suggestions for adjusting approaches to facilitation and the training of facilitators as well as examines ways to move her own work forward.

2019-12-01T00:00:00Z Digges, Alyssa http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75294 2025-08-28T19:42:29Z 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Preventing Actor Burnout through a Mental Health and Wellness Curriculum Authors: Digges, Alyssa Abstract: This paper looks at the need for a mental health and wellness curriculum for students in actor training programs. Burnout and mental health struggles are a huge concern in the field of professional theatre. It is a uniquely demanding profession, and the strains and stresses that come with a career in theatre often lead to mental health issues, which many performers feel unequipped to address. Theatre creates a means of expression that is unrivaled outside of the arts, but the demands of the profession combined with the vulnerability that theatre-making necessitates can create a difficult environment in which to thrive. This paper proposes a curriculum that allows young actors to do just that, fostering more fruitful careers, with less risk of burnout. The curriculum that is outlined in this paper consists of components such as developing a meditation practice, cultivating and maintaining healthy relationships, physical health for actors, developing mental flexibility, and goal-setting and personal growth. This paper and curriculum are based on existing research in the field of mental health and the mental health needs of actors, interviews with mental health professionals, actors, and professors of theatre, and the author’s experiences as an actor and educator.

2019-12-01T00:00:00Z