http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75074 2026-04-11T06:12:20Z http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75286 Title: Negotiating Design in University Applied Theatre Projects: The Case of Safe Cities (2015) Authors: Sibanda, Nkululeko Abstract: This account engages the aesthetic possibilities in the choice and use of space in University of Zimbabwe applied theatre project, Safe Cities (2015). This paper argues that design has, for quite some time, been considered peripheral in applied theatre performances, thus creating challenges for designers who seek to foreground communicative efficacy on it. In most university projects, student-practitioners pay particular focus on the performative presentation of their productions, overlooking the influence of space on their performances. This article exposes the blind spots in the choice and use of Beit Hall to host the Safe Cities (2015) project. The article submits that beyond the efficacy of an applied theatre project, it is fundamentally important for applied theatre practitioners to pay particular attention and embed scenography, in its totality, into their presentations. 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75285 Title: Whose Story Is It Anyway?: Reflections on Authorship and Ownership in Devised Theatre-Making and Ethnodrama with Young People Authors: Glarin, Anna Abstract: A paradigm shift to research ‘with’ young people as opposed to ‘on’ young people has led to focus being placed on young people’s voices in matters concerning them as they are viewed as the experts on their own lives. This article reflects on authorship and ownership of work created collaboratively with young people and on the devised theatre-making process which lead to the creation of ethnodrama, a script of dramatised narratives. The applied theatre practitioner and researcher devising work and creating ethnodramas with young people (and indeed other community groups) faces additional challenges compared to the traditional playwright; they do not just have to entertain but also convey narratives from and about people. This article argues that while aesthetic judgement can be exercised to some degree in the process of scripting the narratives, there are competing tensions involving power dynamics and ethical considerations that must be carefully negotiated and renegotiated through a collaborative process of (re)creation, (re)presentation and (re)telling of the young people’s narratives. The article gives examples of practice which supports the idea when making work with young people it is this collaborative process that is key to the notion of authorship and ownership. It concludes that through this process, the aspiration is that authorship is shared between everyone involved in the process, but that the ownership lies with the young people, from whom the narratives originate. 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75284 Title: “I’m Gonna Use It To Tell You”: Self-Reflection and Construction of Self Authors: Grandi, Gina L. Abstract: For seven weeks, I worked with thirteen high school girls to explore issues of identity through a devised theatre performance. Throughout the process, I found evidence that the process of working through theatre mitigated the ways young people filter their responses and provides a platform in which they can interrogate their perceptions and opinions. This article discusses how, while working through theatre provided a space in which the girls I worked with expressed uncensored thoughts and opinions, there was a return to constructed personas when creating a public performance. 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2451/75283 Title: Editorial: No End and No Beginning Authors: Jones, Jonathan P. Abstract: In this editorial, the editor reflects on the current political climate in the US and its impact on theatre education. The editor then introduces this issue, in which our contributions in this issue come from artists and educators whose praxis focuses largely on creating and devising theatre with young people. The first article is from Gina L. Grandi. Upon winning the AATE Distinguished Dissertation honor in 2019, I listened to her give a talk about her devised theatre work with girls of color in New York City. As I am strongly supportive of promoting this culturally relevant drama pedagogy, I invited Gina to write an article for this publication. In the second article, Anna Glarin explores her work creating theatre with young people in the UK. Like Gina, Anna’s writing highlights the necessity to center student voice in the theatre they create, while navigating power dynamics and ethical considerations. Finally, Nkululeko Sibanda, a practitioner based in South Africa, interrogates the aesthetics of applied theatre projects. 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z