ethics of participatory theatre in high education : a framework for teaching and learning

8/6/2019 Ethics of Participatory Theatre in High Education : A framework for teaching and learning.

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THE ETHICS OF PARTICIPATORY THEATRE

IN HIGHER EDUCATION

AFRAMEWORK FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING

FRANCES RIFKIN

2010

SUPPORTED BY A PALATINEDEVELOPMENT AWARD


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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

1. GENESISOF PROJECT:HISTORICALCONTEXTSAN DCHALLENGES 4

2. AIMS,METHODOLOGYANDSUMMARYOF OUTCOMES 9

3. ANETHICAL FRAMEWORKFO RPARTICIPATORYTHEATRE 13

APPENDIX1. ETHICSOF PARTICIPATORYTHEATRE:ALITERATUREREVIEW

BY DRELIZABETHHAR E 29

APPENDIX

2.

THE

WORKSHOP

METHODOLOGY 37


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Specialthankstomycollaboratorswhohavecruciallysupportedmeinsustaininganddevelopingtheresearch

andwritingprocess:

Stella Barnes of Oval House Theatre who has offered mentoring, workshop development andcontributionstothecoreprinciples

Elizabeth Hare of the Open University, who authored the literature review and provided advicethroughouttheproject

BillMcDonnelloftheUniversityofSheffieldwhohasprovidedacademicsupportandmentoring,andhaseditedthefinalversion

Iamgratefulforthegenerosityofideas,experienceandtimeofferedby:

Ali

Campbell,

Queen

Mary,

University

of

London

DavidGrant,QueensUniversity,Belfast MattHargrave,NorthumbriaUniversity KayHepplewhite,YorkStJohnUniversity JennyHughes,UniversityofManchester AdrianJackson,CardboardCitizens MatthewJennings,UniversityofUlster ChrisJohnston,Rideout GerryLing,Lawnmowers SallyMackey,CentralSchoolofSpeechandDrama SueMayo,MagicMeandfreelance CaoimheMcAvinchey,QueenMary,UniversityofLondon MiriamMurtin,PALATINE HelenNicholson,RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon DavidPearson,PALATINE NickRowe,YorkStJohnUniversity KerrieSchaefer,UniversityofExeter AmandaStuartFisher,CentralSchoolofSpeechandDrama JamesThompson,UniversityofManchester

Thankstostudentsinthefollowinginstitutions, fortheircontributionstoworkshops:

Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon UniversityofExeter UniversityofManchester QueensUniversityBelfast NorthumbriaUniversity YorkStJohnUniversity

FrancesRifkin,London,2010


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1. GENESISOFPROJECT:HISTORICALCONTEXTSANDCHALLENGESINTRODUCTION

This research is a response to a perceived absence of consensus on an ethical approach to the teaching,

learning and professional practice of Participatory or Applied Theatre. This does not imply an absence of

ethicalpractice in Higher Education; on thecontrary, the research revealed widespread thinkingabout and

commitmenttoethicalpracticeamongstteachersandlearners.

Theresearchersconcernhasratherbeentoidentifyareasbothofconsensusandofdebateinordertocreate

astructurewithinwhich the ethicsof this rapidlyexpanding,diverse,and increasinglyprofessionalpractice

might be theoretically and practically implemented. Recognizing that there are many points of entry into

practice, participation and commissioning, the reportjuxtaposes frames of reference ranging between the

political, thecivic,and theethical inorder tooffera fieldofpractices inwhichsomeagreementonethical

mightcomfortablyemerge.

Theresearchhasbeenbaseduponanactionresearchmethodology.Itsaimwasnottoteach,imposeortesta

setofaprioriethicalvalues,buttoenableadialoguewithcollaboratorsontheissueofpracticeethicsinPT.

Inotherwords,todiscoverwhatvalueswereoperative,whetherexplicitorimplicit,to identifygaps,andto

attemptaprovisionalcodification.

The aim was to produce a set of ethical guidelines for use in the HE curriculum, in teaching. In Higher

Educationtheguidelineswillraisevocationalawarenessforstudentsandintheworldofemploymentsupport

professionalism forpractitioners.

PARTICIPATORYTHEATREADEFINITION

Inthisstudytheterm ParticipatoryTheatre (PT) isusedtocoverpracticesreferredtovariouslyasApplied

TheatreorDrama,CommunityTheatre,WorkshopTheatre,RolePlayetc. Thepracticerangesbetweenwork

withaperformancefocustoprocessbasedworkaimedatpersonalgroupand/orsocialdevelopment.Ittakes

placeinawidevarietyofemployment,political,socialandcommunitysettingsandpractitionerscomefroma

varietyofbackgrounds.Practitionersmaybeprofessionaltheatreperformersanddirectors,dedicatedtrained

facilitators, or professionals from other backgrounds e.g. social work or education. Participatory theatre is

internationallyassociatedwithradicalandpopulartheatreformssuchasTheatreinEducation,YoungPeoples

Theatre,ForumTheatre(TheatreoftheOppressed)andTheatreforDevelopment.

Whiletheresearchemphasishasbeenontheinteractivityoftheworkshopsituationitsconsiderationsextend

to, and are applicable to, forms that involve participants professional and nonprofessional in creating,

devisingandperforminginawiderangeofmodesandrelationships.

THEHISTORICALCONTEXT

Radical participatory theatre practices have historically been founded on a cluster of ethical/political

principles. These principles have been articulated through the methods of practitioners such as Dorothy

HeathcoteandAugustoBoal,andthroughtheTheatreinEducationandpoliticaltheatremovementsandtheir


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organizationsandcompaniesandindividuals.1Theseethicalapproacheshavebeenrecorded invaryingways

overtime,buthaveemergedfromthedebatesandcompetingapproachesofthepractitionerslargelyaspraxis

which has been difficult to formulate and to share. The underpinning notions were strongly influenced by

contextsofpoliticalandsocialstruggleandexploration:forexampletheantiwarmovementandtradeunion

strugglesofthe60s,70sand80s;thegrowthofthewomensandgaymovements;andthestruggleforwider

equalitieswhichhasgrownoutofthese.

Asthegenerationoforiginatorsandinitiatorswhoarguedforapartisanandsociallycriticalpracticebeginsto

givewaytotheirsuccessors,theabsenceofaconsensusonwhatthenatureofanethicalapproachmightbe

hasbecomeproblematic.

ItisnowheremoreproblematicthaninHE,wherePTpracticeisapopularpartofmanycurricula,andwhere

manystudentshopetousetheirskillswiththewideningrangeofmarginalizedandvulnerablecommunities.

ThereisalsoanindustrialPTsectorwhereformssuchasForumTheatreandRolePlayhavebeenappropriated

inwaysthatmaynothavebeenanticipatedbytheirearlierproponents.Inparallelwiththesedevelopments,

increasingnumbersofartistswhoseprincipalobjective,ratherthanhavingasocialorientation,istoproduce

theirownwork,arecombiningwitharangeofcommunitygroupstopursuetheiraimsinwayswhichcanbe

ethicallyquestionable.

As a practitioner working across fields of participatory theatre and political performance, I have become

increasinglyawareofabuildupofpressuresaroundwhathadpreviouslyseemedunproblematicpractices. In

1993,after20yearsofpoliticaltheatrewiththeTradesUnionandantifascistmovements,Icheerfullywrote

thefollowing:

Tonewgenerationofpractitioners,the landscapeissomewhatmorecomplicated.It isforme. What

seemed clear is still clear in itself, its questions valid and current but the context has shifted. The

ethicalprojectrevealsitselfasfragileandtemporal.

PARTICIPATORYTHEATREANDETHICSCONTEMPORARYCHALLENGES

Thereforeethics isnotonlyanattitudeofquestioning,adisposition,and intention,butaprojecta

fallibleandperishableprojectthatexistsintensionwith(andthereforeboundto),asetting,history,

traditionandlanguage.LouiseLachapelle.

Participatorytheatretakesplacenowinmultiplecontexts,eachofwhichpresentspecificchallenges.

It stands between other participatory theatre techniques with ethical codes of their own: Playback,Sociodrama,Psychodrama,Dramatherapyetc;

Practitioners work extensively with socalled marginalized groups and others, and must respond tostatutoryrequirementsarounddutyofcare,equality,diversityandHealthandSafety;

It interfaces with situations where concepts of good practice are longestablished but not necessarilyapplicabletoacreativepractice,forexampleinattitudestoriskandchallenge;

1SeeLiteratureReview,Appendix1foramoredetaileddiscussionoftheseissues.


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It is increasinglyusedasa research tool inHE,andsoencountersa rangeof institutional ethicalcodeswhicharesometimesincompatiblewithitsworkingpractices;

Wherepractitionersareemployedoutsidethesocialandpoliticalfields,theycanfacecomplexchallengesto the demands of creative practice in employment and funding contexts which are unsympathetic to

processandpersoncentredpractice.

Whileatitsmostprogressive,PTfostersandembodiesthecreativedesiresandcommitmentsofpractitioners

andparticipantsforethical,equalandcollaborativeworking,itdoesthiswithoutageneralconsensusonhow

thesecrucialelementsmightbeidentifiedandclusteredtogether.

Thereislittletoprotectthefreedomofcompetentpractitionerstosetworkingmethods,agreeagendaswith

participants,chooseanddevelopwaysofworking,evaluateinappropriateways,workcreativelywithnotions

ofuncertainty,bewildermentanddiscovery. Thereispracticallynothingtoindicatetoemployersandother

practitionersbywhatstandardscompetenceandethicalstandardsmightbeunderstood.

Thisvulnerability, whichpractitionerssharewithsomeoftheirconstituency,isexacerbatedbyanabsenceof

clearethicalcontractsofemployment,poorunionisation,andconsequentisolationandlackofsupport. Itall

addsuptopoorornoprofessionalrecognition,statusandtrust. There is inadditionadeepconcern,even

dismayamongstmanypractitionersatthewilderexcessesintheapplicationofPTbymajorfundingbodiesand

institutionsforexampletheEuropeanUnionandtheBritishArtsCouncil. InresponsetheTheatreEducation

Network has produced a practitioners ethics framework, and Equity is promoting a practitioners contract.

ThisresearchthenispartofawidercontextofconcernabouttheapplicationandethicsofPTpractices.

ETHICALFRAMEWORKSCONVERGENCEANDCOMPLEXITY

WhenitcomestooutliningwhatappliedethicalframeworksmightberelevanttoParticipatoryTheatre,there

isconvergenceandcomplexity.

TheInternationalFederationofArtsCouncilsandCultureAgenciesreportEthicsinCulturalpolicyexpresses

itselfinhumanrightslanguage,withanemphasisonthecivic:

Culturalpolicyweunderstood in theway JarmoMalkavaaradefines itasanentityofmeasuresby

which different operators in society consciously seek to influence, and (be influenced by), cultural

activitiesinsociety.Ethicalchoicesarenotblackandwhiterightorwrongsetupsbutcan,indifferent

situations,bejustifiedbydifferentmeansandaimatdifferenteffect.Inculturalpolicytheimportant

thing

is

to

make

choices

consciously

and

transparently

after

a

keen

scrutiny

of

ethical

consequences.

2

IFACCAdefine threeethical lenses throughwhichculturalpolicycanbeevaluated:virtue, responsibilityand

benefit. UnderpinningtheseisthenotionofFairCulture,rootedinhumanrightsprinciples.

Incontrast,RustomBharuchashasprovocativelyproposedaGenetinspiredcommitmenttoabetrayalofthe

civic:

2www.ifacca.org/topic/ethics inculturalpolicy


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I think betrayal can seem perverse, but if one sees in it the possibilities of a certain rigor in not

succumbing tobourgeoismoralityand feelgood liberal,even radicalsentiments, itcanserveasa

robustcorrective topoliticalcorrectnessand the illusionsofgoodcitizenship.To whatextentam I

prepared to endorse the ethics of illegality in order to activate the process of social and political

changebeyondtheboundariesoftheatrepractice?This,indeed,ismyethicaldilemma.Notsomuch

incrossingthelineofunethicalaction,butinnotcrossingthelinewiththenecessarycombinationof

politicalrigor,cunningandaudacity. RustomBharucha.3

An approach which is in clear conflict with more sedate notions of good practice', and the observation of

HealthandSafetyregulations!

StellaBarneshasdevelopedasetofethicalprincipleswhichunderpintheparticipatorytheatreworkofthe

OvalHouse,London:

Choice:participantsagendanotpreempted. Respect:developedviacreativeprocess,modelledbyFs. Equality:withgroupshavinglittleexperience,throughcreativeprocess. Safety:focusonpresent/future,norequirementtodisclose. Tutorcompetence:supportandtraining,sharedperspectives.

(StellaBarnes:DrawingaLine:adiscussionofethicsinparticipatoryartsbyyoungrefugees,2008)

Shedescribesaprocesswherebyethicsareembodiedanddevelopedinthecreativeprocess;wheresensitivity

topersonalandcreativerisk,andmutualrespect,informthework;wherethegroupisviewedascollaborators

andnotparticipants;andwherereflexivityandcriticalthinkingareattheheartoftheprocess.Anapproach

whichechoes,andexpandson,thecertainrigourofBharuchastext.

The concept of Competence is a crucial anchoring for ethical practice: without this, the complexity of

Bharuchasposition,thepitfallsandstrengthsoftheITACCAproposal,andthedenselytexturedimplicationsof

theOvalHouseprincipleswouldbeimpossibletodeconstructandgraspinpractice.Wecanseeinthesethree

positionsthe longstandingpartisanpoliticsofPT inanapparentstandoffwiththecivic. Thethirdposition

opensupapassagebetweenthe firsttwo,respondingto theconceptofthecivic,withoutpreemptingthe

rightofparticipantstoreflectcritically.

Bharucharecognizesthatglobalpower/classrelationsfrequentlyoverridestatedcivicandhumanrightsethics.

IFACCA classifies and proposes an ethical frame based upon a projected universal liberal human rights

framework, inordertoavoidunfairness. BothBharuchaandBarnesareclearthattheseveryhuman rights

principlesarefrequentlyoverriddenbothincivilandothersocieties: thoughithastobesaidthatthecivichas

toexistinordertobebetrayed.

Convergencesonethicsaremanyandcontradictory. Whilethereisawidespreadconvictionthatthereflexive

creativity achievable through theatre practice is capable of generating aesthetically powerful, socially

3PerformanceParadigmFebruary2007, reprintedbyVredevanUutrecht


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transforming art, Bharuchas caveats are a necessary brake on assumptions about the efficacy or implicit

ethicalgoodnessofPTformsofwork:

IfIhadtogetbeyondtheeuphoriaofthemoment,Iwouldhavetoacknowledgehowdifficultitisto

activate these truths in collaboration with political agencies. Perhaps, the greatest lesson that Ive

learnedfrommyinteractionswithoppressedcommunitieshastodowiththeethicsofillegality.

Hecontinues:

(Aformof)radicalperformance,orantiperformance,ornonperformance,whichcouldhighlightthe

beginnings of new and more complicated ways of representing and problematising ethics, where

there isnoclearcutdistinctionbetween goodand evil.Rather,weareall implicated inthevery

crimes that we condemn, either through complicities of silence, indifference or apathy. For

performancetobetrulyradical,itcannolongeraffordtofallbackontheearlierassumptionsofan

artistsinnate,ificonoclastic,goodness

The assembling of an ethical framework, or landscape for the teaching and learning of PT would help to

produceagenerationofreflexivepractitionerswiththeconfidenceandvocationalaswellasacademicskillsto

steer the work in anethicaldirection. Reflexive practice introduced into theatre educationwouldnot only

havethepotentialfortransformingstudentsbutstaffaswell.


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2. AIMS,METHODOLOGYANDSUMMARYOFOUTCOMESAIM : Toresearchanddevelopasetofethicalguidelinesforpracticeinparticipatorytheatreforusein

HigherEducationbyteachers,researchersandstudents.METHODOLOGY: The work was within an Action Research framework in which participants wereinvitedtoreflectontheirapproachtoethics.Theresearchwascollaborativeandincludedtwolevelsof

exploration:

LEVELON E:DAT AGATHERING.

Interviewsandworkshopswith: HELecturersandstudents:toidentifyconcernsandissuesderivedfromcurriculum

planning,teachingandlearningandstudentspractice

Practitioners

LEVELTWO :

Review of findings with collaborators to reflect on the material from the interviews andworkshopsandtoextrapolateprinciplesunderpinningtheprojectedethicalguidelines

SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES OUTCOMESToreviewtheexistingliteratureon

ethicalissuesinthefield

LiteratureReview

Toencouragedebateandreflection 6Workshops,interviews,attendanceatconferences

Toidentifyethicalissuesofconcernto

lecturersandstudents

Awiderangeofviewsgatheredandrecorded

Toprovideadocumentaryandaudio

archive

of

the

research

process

to

supportfurtherresearch

19audiointerviews:11transcribed Workshopmaterials

Totakeintoaccountdifferencesof

interestandperspectivewhichmay

arise

Interactionanddebateinworkshops,interviewswithpractitioners,Equityandsomeservice

providers

AttendanceatconferencesThroughtheaboveprocesstoidentify

theprincipalconcerns,issuesand

questionsleadingtotheformulationof

workableethicalguidelines.

Materialcontextualizedbythehistorical/theoretical basisprovidedbyLiterature

Review

ProductionofguidelinesBreakdownofResearchProcess


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Interviews: 14interviewswith

lecturersinuniversity

departments

5interviewswithpractitioners:

Transcribed:BillMcDonnell,UniversityofSheffield,JamesThompsonand

JennyHughes,UniversityofManchester,KerrieSchaefer,

UniversityofExeter,CaoimheMcavinchey,Goldsmiths,University

ofLondon,HelenNicholson,RoyalHolloway,Universityof

London,KayHepplewhiteandNickRowe,YorkStJohnUniversity,

AmandaStuartFisherandSallyMackey,CentralSchoolofSpeech

andDrama,AliCampbell,QueenMary,UniversityofLondon

Untranscribed:DavidGrant,QueensUniversity,Belfast,MattHargrave,

NorthumbriaUniversity,MatthewJennings,UniversityofUlster

Transcribed:StellaBarnes

Untranscribed:SueMayoofMagicMeandfreelance,AdrianJacksonof

CardboardCitizens,ChrisJohnstonOfRideout,GerryLingof

Lawnmowers

Sevenworkshops Workshopsconducted

withundergraduates,

postgraduatesand

someparticipatingstaff

Preliminaryworkshop:

EarlyintroductoryworkshopwithMAstudentsatRHUL:helped

todefineapproachtoworkshopprocess.

Theworkshoptemplatewasformulatedincollaborationwith

StellaBarnesofOvalHouse. Participantswereincludedas

collaborators.

Workshops:Exeter,Goldsmiths,Manchester,QueensBelfast,Northumbria,

YorkStJohn.

Collaborations Reflectionondevelopingworkincollaborationwith: BillMcDonnellofUniversityofSheffieldwhohasprovided

academicsupportandmentoring.

StellaBarnesofOvalHousehasofferedmentoring,workshopdevelopmentandhascontributedCorePrinciples.

ElizabethHare,OpenUniversity:authorofLiteratureReviewandexpertinfield.

Particularsupportandcollaborationfrom: MattJennings,UniversityofUlster,MattHargrave,NorthumbriaUniversity,

KayHepplewhite,YorkStJohnUniversity.

SeniorpractitionersandmanagersintheVoluntaryandHealthsectorswhoemployPTpractitionerstoworkwith

vulnerableandcomplexgroups.Theyhaveindicatedthatthe


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frameworkhasusesbeyondthePTfield.

Literaturereview ElizabethHare,OpenUniversity reviewofpublishedliteraturerelatingtoethicalissues

contributingtotheoryandhistoryofPT

OutcomesGuidelines EthicsFrameworkfordiscussionandapplicationbylecturersand

studentsinhighereducationandforuseinprofessionallife.

Documentation Workshops:Scribingbyresearcher,materialsgeneratedby

participantsintheformofdrawings,plansandsomepost

workshopreflections.Writtenupasreports.Photographs.

AudioInterviews 19interviews,14transcribed.LiteratureReview OnPALATINEwebsite.

Archive On

PALATINE website.

DisseminationPublicationofguidelinesfor

practiceandappropriate

materialsonthePALATINE,

SCUDD,Sheffield,Oval

HouseandEquitywebsites

Offersabasisforexchangebetweenhighereducation,theatre

practitioners, artsorganizations, unionsandartsemployers:

offerscurrentexperienceoffieldpractitionerswithinHigher

Education.

Conferences AppliedDramaConferenceExeter2nd5thApril08. PresentationatTaPRASeptember2008. WorkshoponWhatdoyoudo?calledbyKayHepplewhite,

YorkStJohnUniversity,atLiveTheatre,Newcastle.

LCACEconferenceonEthicsintheArtsinSeptember2008. PALATINEConferenceinJanuary2009:TeachingApplied

Drama.

AestheticsofUncertainty,ManchesterMay2009. PresentationatTaPRA,Plymouth,September2009. LivingandLearning,LearningandTeaching:MentalHealthin

HigherEducationconference,LancasterUniversity,3031

March,2010.

Acknowledgementof

contributionof

collaboratingdepartments

andindividuals

Returnofmaterialstodepartments.Namesofparticipantson

recordofwork.

LiteratureReviewTheLiteratureReviewoffers:anhistoricalcontexttothepracticeofparticipatorytheatreinthatitdescribesits

origins and its provenance; it provides a critical interrogation of the practice by raising questionsand

provokingdiscussion, (aswellasinthelongertermwehopeitwillactuallygiveatheoreticalunderpinningto

practice);anditaddsadepthtothepracticebyofferingthescholar/student/practitionerpointsofreference


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toexplorefurtherintheworkofthepractitionersdescribed,whichwillenrichandenhancetheirengagement

with thepracticeitself. TheliteraturereviewcanbefoundinAppendix1.

THE

WORKSHOPS.

Theworkshopsaimed:

toexploreexistingnotionsamongstparticipantsofwhatethicsmightmeantothem to find out what structures might have been adopted individually and institutionally to assert ethical

practice

to explore the relationship between notions and structures in the context of relations betweenpractitioners, between practitioners and participants and between practitioners and commissioners of

work

toexplorethepotentialforanassertive,principled,ethicalframeworkasopposedtoacode,capableofenhancingcreativitywhilesupportingpractitioners,participantsandinstitutions

Theworkshopwasa flowmodel,designedto findouthow theprocessesof theatrepracticemight interact

withethicalprinciples.TheworkshopstructureandexercisescanbefoundinAppendix2.


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3. ANETHICALFRAMEWORKFORPARTICIPATORYTHEATREINTRODUCTIONThissectionsetsouttheresultsoftheresearchprocessembodiedintheworkshopsandinterviewscarriedout

withHEacademicpractitionersandstudents.

ItoffersaprovisionalframeworkforethicalpracticeinParticipatoryTheatre.

The span of this proposed framework covers a range of questions for Ethical practice from the

fundamentalquestionsaboutwhatkindofvaluesare inoperationtohow relationswith recipients

andcommissionersoftheworkcanbecontracted.

Thestructurecontains the followingelementswhichwillbedealtwithasaconsecutiveprocessor

successionofstagesinpractice:

1. RadicalEthicalFrame(REF)foundedinthetheoryandpracticeoforiginatingpractitioners2. Values:asetofcultural lensesproposedbythe InternationalFederationofArtsCouncilsand

CultureAgencies(IFACCA)

3. CorePrinciples(CP):theethicalbaseofpractitionersatOvalHouse,London4. StanislavskisquestionsWho?What?Why?Where?When?5. ThequestionHow?6. EvaluationandReporting

Theaimistodemonstratehowoverarchingconceptsmaybebrokendownintoabasisforanethical

practicecapableofpracticalapplication.QuestioningwithintheparametersoftheREFwillproduce

usefulanswerstobetriedoutinpractice,reflectedon,evaluated,learntfromanddevelopedfurther.

Intertwinedwiththisisthepractitioners reflexiveprocessinwhichperceptions,values,knowledges

andskillsaredevelopedthroughcriticalthinkingandpracticeintoadevelopingpraxis.

Toclarify:thisprocessisofferedasanapproachtoenhancingethicalpractice.Referencetoteaching

anddeveloping practicestructures andskills is notdirectly made here, though cross referencing is

inevitable.

ORIGINATINGPRACTITIONERS

Forthepurposesofthisresearchproject,thesehavebeen identifiedthroughtheLiteratureReview

andintheinterviewprocessas:

AugustoBoal


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DorothyHeathcote TheTIEpractitionersof1970s,80sand90sPoliticsandEthicsinterrelateindifferentwayintheirwork,andareembeddedintheirpractices,but

arenotnecessarily identifiedassuch. It is inthevaluesandprinciplesexplicitand implicit intheir

praxesthatthisstructurefindstheethicalbasisofParticipatoryTheatreorPT.

Strong influencesonallofthemareBrechtandStanislavski:Brecht forhiscommitmentto making

strange,questioningandreflectingonwhatappearsnormalinthedominantculture;Stanislavski for

hisunderstandingoftheinternallifeofcharactersinthetheatrespace.

FROMIMPLICIT(ISH)TOEXPLICIT(ISH).

NOTE:Theuseof (ish) indicates recognition that in creativeworknoteverything canbe spokenor

explained,thatthereisalwayssomethingelusive.

Thisstructure looksat theboundarybetweenwhat is implicitandwhatcanbemademoreor less

explicitinadevelopingpraxis.

Theideasinformingthebodyofworkoftheoriginatingpractitionersarecoherentinthattheymake

intellectual,cognitiveandintuitivesense. However,theethicsoftheirworkarefrequentlyimplicit.Thismaybebecause theyinitiallyreliedonpersonaltransmissionoftheirworkanditspolitics/ethics.

Additionally, they were often working in a context where there was a high degree of political

consensusamongstcommittedandwouldbepractitioners.

Accordingly,thisEthicsFrameworkapproachessuchquestionsas:

Whatdowedoaboutethicsbeforeandasweentertheworkspace? What informs our practice in the space and how much of this can be made explicit without

reducingthepowerofwhatBoalcallstheaestheticspace?

Whatkindofethicallyinformedproceduremightenhanceandcreativelydeveloppractice? Howdowediscoverwhetherapracticeisethicalandinrelationtowhatsetofideasisitethical? Ifethicsare implicit inPT,whatdotheyderive from,andhowcanajudgmentbemadeabout

theireffectiveness?

WhatistherelationshipbetweenPoliticsandEthics?Howdoissuesofclass,gender,race,justice,equalityandpowerintersectinanethicalpractice?


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STAGE1:THERADICALETHICALFRAME(REF)

1.1 IntroductiontoRadicalEthicalFrameworksomepropositions The ideas that informPT as developed byBoal, Heathcote et al. formaRadicalEthicalFrame

(REF).

For Dorothy Heathcote, pedagogy involved the setting of boundaries, empowerment,questioningandreflection.

AugustoBoal,creatorofTheatreoftheOppressed(TO),whichincludesForumTheatre, refutesthenotionofanabsolutesetofmoralvalues,espousesradicaldissent, andbelievesthatonly

out of constant practice will the new theory arise. He identifies the purpose of his theatre,

whichistoempowerthepowerlessandvulnerableandtoeffectchangeintheirreallivesthrough

engagementwiththefictionofthedrama.4Hestressestheaestheticoftheoppressedasartist

and the nature of theatre as creatively and socially transformative. The practice of these

theatricalformscreatesasortofuneasysenseof incompleteness thatseeksfulfilmentthrough

realaction.5

Boalsethicsandpoliticsaredeeplyembeddedinhistheory,andinthestructuresofhisGames,Exercisesandtheatre forms. Thepracticehasbecomediffused,however,andwhatmayhave

appearedclearasapoliticsandethicstothoseworkingwithhiminthelate1980snowrequires

some

unpacking.

The role of Boals Joker/facilitator embodies the questions of how the balance betweenindividualandgroupmightwork,bothfortheJokerandintherelationsbetweenparticipants:it

raisesimportantconsiderations abouthowpowerisexercised,shared,and/orhandedoverinTO

andotherpractices.

TheatreinEducationsinterestinmoralvaluesandpoliticswasneverexplicitinitspublicagenda,althoughtheyformedtheheartofitssubjectmatteranddictated itsethics. Itsexplicitagenda

was forgoodtheatreand itsvalue inchildrens lives. Formanypractitioners,thepoliticswas

deliberatelyimplicitandsubversive.

Harestatesthat:ThereflectiveandreflexivenatureoftheprocessofTIE,(is)acharacteristic thathashadaprofoundinfluenceontheconductofparticipatorytheatreintheUKeversince.Italso

forms thecoreof thecurrentconcernto identifyand formulate theethicsofcurrentpractice.

TheaccountsofTIEprogrammesarealwaysaccompaniedbyaccountsofevaluations.6

4Hare,LiteratureReview,2010(Appendix1)

5Boal1979,p142

6Hare,LiteratureReview,2010(Appendix1)


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In order to illustrate the ethical aspect in cultural policy, we created a new concept 'fair

culture',whichwedefinedasfollows:

Fair culture means the realization of peoples cultural rights and inclusion in cultural

signification, irrespective of age, gender, language, state of health, ethnic, religious or

culturalbackground.

Thedimensionsoffairculturewedividedintothefollowingcategories

1.Accesstohumankindsandonesownculturaltradition

2.Physical,regionalandculturalaccessibilityandavailability

3.Diversityofculturalsupplyanditsmatchingwithdemand

4.Participationinculturalsupply,and

5.Opportunitiesfor,inclusioninandcapabilityforculturalselfexpressionandsignification

ThisformulationisderivedbyIFACCAfromAristotlesEthics,thoughitmovesquitealongwayfrom

itsoriginal. Ihaveadapteditandsuggestitasonemeanstodifferentiatebetweenrelatedpractices.

VIRTUE,RESPONSIBILITY,BENEFIT:THE ETHICALVALUESORLENSESPROPOSEDBYIFACCA.

Avirtueorfreedomethicfocusesonissuesoffreedominartandculture;onfreedomofselfexpressionandtheautonomyofart. Itviewscreativityandartas intrinsicallyvaluable

andthereforelegitimategoalsinthemselves.

A responsibility or rights ethic relates to the cultural interests and identities ofcommunitiesandgroups,workinginthecontextofculturaltraditions,andtherealizationof

cultural rights. This involves accessibility, availability and provision, participation and

inclusion.

A corollary or benefit ethic can see creativity as a tool, focusing attention on theapplicationofartspractice incomplexsocialandeconomiccontexts. Itsalsoapplicableto

industrialspheresfore.g.theprotectionof intellectualproperty,contractualrelationswith

employersandfunders.o Howmightpracticeusetheseethicallenses?o Thepositionsindicatedundereachcategoryarenotmutuallyexclusiveandapiece

of work might combine more than one. The corollary lens, for example, could

combinewithboththeothertwotolookattherelationshipbetweencreativearts

workandsocialorpoliticalintervention.

o The lenses, with their underpinning in human rights, point up those issues ofinclusionandmarginalizationwhichPTcontinuallyaddressesandcritiques. What

istheworkaimingatinanyparticularcontext,whatdrivesit?

ThevalueoftheselensesisderivedfromtheirrelationshiptotheREFsetoutabove,and

totheCorePrincipleselaboratedbelow.


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STAGE3:COREPRINCIPLES

CHOICE

,

EQUALITY

,

RESPECT

,

SAFETY

,

COMPETENCE

.

10

3.1:INTRODUCTION.

Thisstage,duringwhichcontinualreferencetotheRadicalEthicalFrameworkandValuesstageswill

bemade, is intendedtonarrowthefocusontoasetofworkingconceptswhichbothconnectwith,

and challenge, current ideas of good practice in the political and social spheres. The research

workshop process revealed that the Core Principles are resonant with meanings that may beobfuscatedbyinstitutionaloveruseoftheseterms: explorationrevealedthatmanymeaningscluster

aroundthewords,andshiftaccordingtocontext,individualinterpretation andinstitutional context.11

In terms of the Radical Ethical Framework, these principles may emerge as a challenge to and a

questioning of legal and institutional concepts of good practice and of research ethics. The

principlesweredevelopedinthecontextofworkwithcomplexandvulnerablegroupsforOvalHouse,

London,byStellaBarnes,their HeadofEducationandcollaboratorinthisproject.

Under prevailing codes of practice, notions of safety, for example, tend to default to limiting or

preventingphysicalrisk,emotionalrisk,ortouching,Theyaretheretooftentoprotectagainstlegal

action andfacilitatorincompetence,amongstotherthings. Inartsandtheatrepractice,ontheother

hand,riskisanacceptedelementingroupandindividualdevelopment,bothinpersonalandcreative

forms.Groupworkinvolvingphysicalactivityandtouching isregardedasstandard. However,what

kind

of

risk

is

being

alluded

to?

Does

it

conflict

with

the

statutory

position

on

risk

or

not?

Similarly, Respect may conventionally be seen as excluding Challenge, an element of the Radical

EthicalFramework,whileChoice, inthecontextofParticipatoryTheatreworkingsituations,canbe

provoking and provocative for all involved, owing to imbalances in power relationships, and to

agendasbeingsetbycommissionersratherthanbyartistsorparticipants.

Asking thequestionsWho,Whatetc (below)willhelp toclarifywhatsneededandwhat theCorePrinciples might mean in a specific context: a group of learning disabled people may require a

differentapproachtoagroupofrailwayworkers,forexample.

Acceptance of gender inequality in vulnerable or marginalized groups raises specific issues of

practice.Inherentinallgroupworkareissuesofpower:relationsbetweenfacilitatorandgroupare

especiallycomplexandchangeasprocessdevelops.

10StellaBarnes

11SeeIntroduction


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19

3.2:NOTESONCORE PRINCIPLES:CHOICE,EQUALITY,RESPECT,SAFETY,COMPETENCE.

With reference to the Radical Ethical Framework and Values, it is helpful to reflect on what

competenceactuallyis. Isitastateofbeingorofbecoming?Itiscertainlyakeytoexercisinguseful

judgment.

During research it emerged that becoming competent is an incremental process. At its centre is

reflection and reflexivity: a new practitioner who reflects, questions, learns from mistakes and

successesandmovesonisdevelopingcompetence.Theskillsandknowledgegrowwithpracticeand

incombinationconstitutethemeanswherebypractitionersdeveloptheirpraxis.

ThefollowingisaclusterofcapacitiesrelatingtoCompetenceproposedafterconsultation

COMPETENCE

Asanartist,developingandconsolidatingknowledgeoftheatreanditspotentialandhowtoworkinandholdthetheatrespace.

Learningfromandreflectingonexperience,anddevelopinghonestusefulknowledgeandselfawarenessofowncapacitiesandlimitsatanystage.

Learningespeciallyfrommistakes. Workingtodeveloppersonalskillsinreflectionandtransmittingthesetoothers. Developing, valuing and understanding your range and repertoire of strategies and

workingpracticesateachstageofworkinglife.

Developingtheabilitytoexercisejudgmentinrelationtoworkprocessbydevelopingasystematic and imaginative approach to analyzing the work, its context and key

factors. Increasing ability to question and to take working decisions with flexibility and

creativity.

Understandingtheimplicitcontractbetweenyourselfandthoseyouareworkingwith. Acquiring knowledge of Equalities, Health and Safety and other legislation and of

acceptedgoodpractice.

Workingtogainanalyticalrigourandimaginativefreedom. Developing ethical skills in negotiating, planning and contracting with employers to

supportboththeworkingsituationandyourselfasaprofessional.

Competencehere isbothanethicalprinciple(an incompetentpractitioner inacomplexsituation isunacceptable),andanecessarybridgebetweentheory,principlesandpractice.

3.3

THE

CORE

PRINCIPLES.

Having considered Competence at some length, it is worth pointing to the ambiguities that might


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20

surround the other Core Principles. Questioning of the Core Principles is appropriate, not least

becausetherearesociallyreceivednotionsaboutwhattheymightmean,andthesenotionsmayhave

tobechallenged;thisisespeciallytrueinplaceswherecontrolandrepressionarepractised,suchas

oldpeopleshomes,prisons,andyoungoffendersinstitutions.

Itisimportanttotakeintoaccounttheciviccontextinwhichtheworkmighttakeplace. Forexample,

in 1960s and 1970s Brazil, the coup of 1964 and continuing opposition to state repression and

violence generated Boals Theatre of the Oppressed with its penetrating analysis of power and

oppression.12

Recently,ProfessorJamesThompson13

haswrittenabouttheethicalquestionsraisedduringworkin

the Sri Lankan war zone. Both Theatre for Development work and local UK work with groups

experiencing injustice or coming from sexist, lawless and oppressive regimes, can raise particular

politicalandethicalissues. Judgmentandskillsareneededinthesecontexts,buttrialanderrorare

alsopartoftheprocess.

The meaning of Choice, for example, has to be carefully considered in a prison where choice is

restricted:whatrolecantheatreplayinexplicitlyorimplicitlyconfrontingtheissue? Whathappens

whenthepractitioners perceptionofchoicediffersfromthatoftheauthorities?HowmighttheREF

influencedecisions?WhatroledoesSafetyhave,howdoesitaffectnotionsofEquality? Inwhatway

wouldthedecisionschangein,say,acommunitycentreoraschool?

12SeeTaPRApresentationforRustomBharuchaonthecivic

13ProfessorofAppliedandSocialTheatre,UniversityofManchester


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STAGE4:QUESTIONS:WHO?WHAT?WHY?WHERE?WHEN?

4.1:

INTRODUCTION

.

Thisstage of theprocess applies Stanislavskis questions forcharacterbuilding to reflectionon the

characteroftheworkorprojectorlearningcontext,andofitsparticipants.

Askingusefulquestionscanhelpustoreflecton,clarifyandstructure ideasforallparties involved,

andfacilitateaclear,ethicalproposalandrealisticexpectationsofthework.

The questions will help particularly, perhaps, in the process of consulting and of developing anagreementwiththeorganisationofferingthework,thecommissioner,and/orwiththosetakingpartinit(whomayalsobethecommissioner).

Usingthisapproachtoexplorethecommissioners positionitispossibleataninitialstagetodecide

whetherornottheworkiswithinanacceptableethicalframeandhow/whetherornottodoit.The

process of asking will increase your competence and help in the accumulation of critical

understanding: reciprocally, as your competence increases, so over time, the questions will be

integratedintoyourworkandwillgiverisetonewquestionsandapproaches.

ThesequestionsarecrucialintheprocessofemergingfromtheImplicitishintotheExplicitish. They

can(mostly)beanswered,andusefullyso. Otherquestionscannotalwaysoreverbeanswered:some

ofthesearefrequentlyansweredwhentheyshouldnotevenbeaskedandarefoundonapplication

formstoArtsandotherorganizationsandinevaluationforms.

Thisprocessasawholehelpsinthetaskofseeingwhatcanandcantbeusefullyoreventruthfully

answered,andwillagainhelptoprotectpractice.

An example is a funders desire to close down and overdetermine outcomes very prevalent in

NorthernIreland,forexample,whereartistsareusedforcomplexcommunityworkbutwhere,asis

common, art and its uncertainty is feared and mistrusted. Or they may ask for outcomes to be

described before the group has had a chance to decide what it will do, precluding choice in, and

ownership of the work by all involved. Strategic and tactical decisions can be made as to how to

answer. In for example, refugee work, Theatre for Development and again in Northern Ireland,

fundingmaybedependentonachievingresultsatoddswithPTethicalpractices.Istheworkworth

doinganyway?

4.2 USINGWHO?WHAT?WHY?WHERE?WHEN?INPRACTICE

Thesummaryofpossiblequestions/issuessetoutbelowcannotbecomprehensive,asanswersare

contextdependent. Asyouwork,reflectonwhattheREF/CorePrinciplesmeanhere. What isthe

relationship withlegalandgoodpracticeprinciples,forexample?


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22

Who? Who do I think I am? Who do the group think I am? Who will be there? Age,

gender,ethnicity,class,sexuality,age,status,employment,presence,healthetc.

Who am I/are we as practitioners: what are our presence, stake, involvement,desires,connection,culture,knowledgehowmuchdoweknow,doesitmatter?

ItisusefulunderWho?tochallengethestigmatizingandreductiveuseoflanguagewhichdefinespeoplebytheirperceivedvictimhoodordisadvantage:marginalized

andexcludedareexamples. Suchtermsareoftenusedbypowerholders(inthe

benefitssystem,theimmigrationsystemetc)toclassifygroupsandarepickedup

byotherorganizationsandbyindividuals,includingpeopleinthegroupsinvolved.

Whoseistheidea/work,whosewillbetheoutcomesownershipareyouhappywiththeanswertothisquestion (refertoCorePrinciples)?Havetheparticipants

chosentheproject/work?

Forwhomistheworkbeingdone? Towhomwillitbeperformed,andforwhosebenefit?Isittoticktheboxesforacommissioner?GotoHow!

What? Whatswanted?Whowantsitemployerorparticipantsorbothwhoseagenda

isit?Whatarethepreconceptionstheparticipantshave,doIhave?Whatarethe

powerrelations?

Do the participants know about the work? Have they been consulted? If itsimposed,whatdorespectandchoicemean?WhatdoIwant,isitcontradictoryor

in harmony with the project? What are the aims and objectives, have you

scrutinizedandagreedthemaspartofyourcontract,whatchoiceshaveyoumade

already?

Why? Whynow?Whowantstheworkandwhy?Isitafreechoice?

Where? Locationandenvironment,physicalandsocial. Aricharea,adangerousplaceetc.

Whataretheimplications?Howdoyougetthere?

When? Timeofday,timeinhistory,inthelivesofpeopleandorganizations, yourlife,the

livesandcontextsoftheparticipants,insocialandpoliticallife.


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STAGE5.HOW?

5.1

FORMAL

STRUCTURE

OF

THE

WORK.

InarrivingatHow?thepractitionerisinapositiontothinkabouthowtheworkwillbedonewhat

elements,plans,strategiesmightbeselectedtorealisetheproject. Throughthequestioningprocess,

shewillhavecreatedavisionofthecontextandparticulardemands,ofthecharacteroftheproject.

Usingthisapproachthepractitionercanexplorethecommissionersposition;decidewhetherornot

the work is within an acceptable ethical frame, whether or not to do it and how to mediate the

problems through discussion or subversive action. This structure is not a guide on how to be

unemployed,butonhowtodecide,ethically,whattodo. Therearemanyexamplesofworkdone

ethicallybypractitionersworkinginproblematiccontexts.

The interchange with the commissioner creates a relationship in which each party is clear enough

abouttheotherspositiononcreative,ethicalandworkissuesenablingacontractualagreementtobe

reachedonthewholeprocessfrominitialsetuptoevaluation.14

5.2 HOW?MAKINGAGREEMENTS.

Howdoestheworkgetdonegiventheknowledgeaccumulatedthroughyourethicalinquiry? Reflect

oneachstageoftheprocessbyreferringtoREFandCorePrinciples.

Thisprocess isonethat isasappropriateforpractitioners intraining inHEas it isforthose inmid

career. Thepracticeofworkingtogetaclearandethicalagreementwithcommissionersiscrucialto

an

assertive

and

convincing

practice.

Developing a template for dealing with commissioners can be approached through applying this

processtoworkbetweenteachersandstudentswithintheHEenvironment. Suchapracticeneeds

tosafeguardwhatiscentralcreativelyandethicallywhilerespondingtothecommissionersneedsin

an environment in which, unlike that of HE, there is little or no understanding of the values and

principlesofthework.

Thefollowingishelpful. Itcanbeusedinternallywithteachersorcolleaguestoclarifywhatyouwill

do, and with commissioners. Thinking can be summarised and focused through a Proposal and a

Contract:

PROPOSAL: Aimandobjectivesoftheworkinwritingincluding1. Adescriptionofhowyouwork,yourmethodology2. Yourethicalvaluesandboundaries.

14Duringtheworkshopphaseoftheresearchforthisstructure,studentsformulatedcontractualapproacheswhichclarifiedtheirthinking

andrepresentedtheirworkinawaychosenbythem.


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24

DEVELOPING ACONTRACT:

This takes different forms: e.g. a contract with a group of participants, with an employing orcontracting organisation, an internal agreement with colleagues to clarify work plans and

relationships.

It should be noted that a contract needs to be written down and is a legal agreement whichproperly formulated creates professional and structured working relationships. It includes the

Proposal.

Contracts of employment/engagement have particular requirements including days/hours ofwork,dates,statementofwhatyouareoffering,ethicsstatement,whattheemployeragreesto

provide,numberofpeopleneeded,HealthandSafetyandstatutoryrequirements,appropriate

support and briefing, the appropriate number of facilitators, money. Issues of copyright and

ownershipofmaterialsshouldbeincluded.

A

contract

should

contain

an

agreement

on

evaluation,

how

its

done

and

if

the

scale

of

the

work

warrantsit,whowillpayforitandwhowillcarryitout.15

5.3 HOW? WORK PLANNINGANDEXECUTION.

THE PRACTICE PLANAN DETHICAL FACTORS

Whatistheworkfor?Balancebetweencreativeandsocialobjectives? (seeVirtue,Responsibilityetc.above).

HowdotheRF/CorePrinciplesaboveandtheanswerstoyourquestionsinformyourworkshopstructure?

Whatkindofgames,exercisesetc.willhelptocreatetheinteractionsandoutcomesyouwant? Alternativestrategies: Uncertainty,changeandunpredictability willinformtheprocess. Whatis

fixedandwhatcanbechangedasneeded?Whathappensifparticipantswanttochangethings?

Answersdependoncontext,ethicalpositioningandcompetence.

WOR KPROCESS

Inworking inPTthefollowingarecontextdependentallorsomemightbeuseful.Theycreatean

arenawhereagreedboundaries(e.g.noviolence)aretransgressedinimageintheother,aesthetic

space.

Negotiatingtheworkwithcommissioners: forexample,wherethecommissionermightconsideritrisky,emotionallyandphysically, foryoungoffenders toworkoncertain issuesof theirown

choicewhichmaychallengethesystem.

Exercisingpower:acknowledgeyourpowerasJoker,facilitator,workshopleader:Howdopower

15Seemodelcontractattached.


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25

and Equality correlate? Being clear about having different roles is part of Equality, as is

understandinghowthesemightchangeastheprocessdevelops.

Ground rules: asking thegroup topropose some (seesuggestionsbelow) oroffering them fordiscussion demonstrates a practice that respects participants, engages them from the initial

stagesoftheworkasequals,andoffersthemchoicesandcontrolintheprocessandtherightto

consenttoit.

Groundrulesdelineateareasofpowerandresponsibility:theyclarifyforeveryone intheworksituationequalthoughdifferentroles.Who isrunningthework?(Collective?Facilitator?)What

role do participants play in contributing, commenting, consenting, saying no, hearing each

other?Thisrequiresthefacilitatortoreflectonherownrole:whataretheboundaries,what is

thepoweractuallyfor,howdoesshehandlethebalancebetweenherroleandtheparticipants

roles?If,forexample,listeningisagroundrule,howdoesthefacilitatorunderstandthis?What

happens if participants dont like the work what does she do if she is listening? What is

appropriate

in

the

context?

ExplainandreviewtheAimofthework. Offergood,appropriateexplanationsofwhatsgoingon, encourage feedback at appropriate times, encourage listening, reflection, questioning.

Reviewprogress,sharereflections.

Being clear about what you seek to achieve but having alternative strategies and courses ofaction:knowingwhatisfixedandwhatisflexible.

Ownership isan issuewhereparticipantscontributecreatively toadevisedpiece,material forpublication and/or exhibition etc. Recognition and crediting of the material is essential and,

wherefinancialgainmaybeinvolved,clearcontractualboundariesareneeded.

Use of personal stories: issues around disclosure, past trauma, and decisions to work withautobiographical materials relate to confidentiality, emotional safety and ownership. Where

groupsand individualsagreeorevenvolunteermaterials,thedecisiontousethem,whether in

the workshop space or in public, needs special ethical attention, depending on context. The

choice of whether to use such material does not necessarily rest with individuals whose

willingnesstodisclosemightbeproblematic.

With personal and other kinds of difficult material, the need for competence in holding thetheatrespaceisexemplified. Ensuringthatthegroupsworkthroughthedistancingcontaining

thattheatreenablesiscreative,competentandsafer. TheBoalianprocessofmakinganimage

ofrealityandthenworkingwiththerealityoftheimage,Metaxis,encapsulatesthis.16

Personalstoriesareasubject forattention.Workingwith refugeesonpersonal,traumaticandsensitive material involves consideration of aesthetic, funding, personal and social issues. A

decisiontowork inthepresentandwiththewholepersonasa lifenotsolelycharacterizedby

trauma, for example, is an ethicaldecision withconsequences beyond the immediate piece of

work.

Taking on uncertainty, change and unpredictability is inherent in the creative process. This

16AugustoBoalRainbowofDesire.Routledge1995.P42Secondhypothesis:metaxis


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26

requires mediation in your interface with commissioners who may not grasp the centrality of

theseandmaywanttobereassuredthattheoppositeisthecase.

Competencemakingdecisionswithinyourcapacityatdifferentstagesofyourdevelopment.

5. 4COMMENTS:THEEXPLICIT

This is where the question of the Explicit emerges beyond the (ish). The REFs within which the

originating practitioners work was situated provided their ethical/political basis; getting group

consent,forexample,wasusuallyImplicitintheirpractice.Theageofstatutoryregulationwasbarely

beginning.

Contemporary practice does suggest an Explicit use of Ground Rules, boundaries and rules ofengagement. In a litigious environment, they act as a signal to commissioners that acceptedGood

PracticeandStatutoryobligationsarebeingacknowledgedandobservedappropriately, andthatthe

dangerofbeingsuedisminimal.

However, the ambiguities and complexities of meaning discussed under REF, Values and Core

Principlesstand. There isnouniversalrule:thereareexceptions.The issue istoconsiderHowthe

workcanbeenabledandtomakeajudgmentastowhat,incontext,mightbetheoptimumcourseof

action.

Statutoryrequirementsonchildprotection,healthandsafetyetc.area legal imperative. Abideby

them: physical safety is a given; allowing elders to fall over misplaced furniture is clearly

unacceptable.Beyondthestatutory,again,judgmentisrequiredtogaugewhatconstitutessafetyand

riskin,forexample,aprimaryschool,aprisonoraworkplace.

ThePALATINEConferenceCalculatingRisk:assessment,ethicsandriskassessmentindurationaland

sitebasedperformanceworkwith/bystudentsinJanuary2010isausefulreferencehere,though it

focusedonadifferentfieldofwork.17

SAMPLEGROUNDRULES(IT SGOODTO AVOIDTHEWORDNOWHEREPOSSIBLE)

Listentoeachother(dontinterrupt)

Supportive

challenging

(dont

be

rude

but

feel

free

to

disagree!)

Confidentiality Negotiatedifficulties(noviolence) Beontime Eatatbreaks Phonesoff Discussionattheagreedmoments Youcansayno Haveago!

17http://www.palatine.ac.uk/events/viewreport/1699/


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27

Usematerialyourecomfortablewith

STAGE6.EVALUATIONANDREPORTING

6.1Criteriaforassessingtheeffectsoftheworkneedtoberelatedtotheaimsandparameters

setout in the initialcontract. Onceagain, thisapproach isasappropriate forpractitioners in

traininginHEasitisforthoseinmidcareer.

Evaluationcriteriashouldbeagreedwiththecommissionerattheoutset,and, inHEcontexts,

should complement the usual internal evaluation of course outcomes. Sometimes, of course,

thetwowilloverlap.Thereisarangeofavailableapproachesfromsimplyaskingtheparticipants

to say orwrite their reactions in the finalsession, tostructuredschemeswhichmight involve

focusgroups,externalassessorsetc.

ReferringbacktotheVirtue,Responsibility,Benefitspectrum, theREFandtheCorePrinciples

will be helpful and at this stage it should be possible to evaluate confidently. Ethically, it is

essential tocheckout with participants themselveshow the work isgoing at regular intervals

duringtheprocessandtorecordtheirresponsesaspartofacollaborativeevaluationprocess.

6.2 Issues of confidentiality will be especially important in situations where participants have

offeredpersonalmaterial: forexampleprisons, largebusinessorganizations, childrenshomes,

local

councils,

trades

unions

etc.

where

comments

may

be

made

which

individuals

do

not

wish

to

have reportedback. AnonymitycanbepromisedviatheGroundRulesand thecommissioner

canbeinformedofthisethicalpositionviathecontract.

6.3 Due to pressure from funders, in some cases evaluation hasbecome amarketing tool for

promoting the work to new commissioners, of little benefit, in its published form, to the

practitionersinvolved. Attemptingtoensureongoingfundingshouldbeseenasseparatetothe

internalanalysispractitionersneedtopracticeforthedevelopmentoftheirwork.


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STAGE7.REFLECTIONANDREFLEXION

This is the final stagingpoint prior to returning to the beginningof the structure to reflect on the

processyouhavecarriedthrough,assesshowitrelatestothecriteriasuggested,andtothinkabout

howyouwilldevelopyourthinkingandpractice.

Inthemomentofreflection,throughouttheworkandatEvaluation,bringbackintoplaytheRadicalEthicalFrame,Values,CorePrinciplesandQuestionsasacontexttohelpassesswhetherthepracticeis still holding a relationship with its aims. What happened? Gibbss Reflexive Cycle offers the

followingquestionstoassistthinkingaboutwork. Mistakesareopportunitiesforlearning!

1. Description:whathappened?2. Feelings:whatwereyourthoughtsandfeelings?3. Evaluation:whatwasgoodandbadabouttheexperience?4. Analysis:whatsensecanyoumakeofit?5. Conclusion:whatelsecouldyouhavedone?6. Returnto1.

Thesequestionscanofcoursebeusedatanystage intheworkprocess. Liketheessentialsofthe

structureasawhole,theywillbecomesecondnature.


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APPENDIX1. ETHICSOFPARTICIPATORYTHEATRE:ALITERATUREREVIEWBYDRELIZABETHHARE

The purpose of this literature review is to provide a literary and academic background to support the

frameworkforpracticewhichformsthemainbodyoftheprojectreport.

TheframeworkitselfisintendedtoinformtheworkoffacilitatorsandprojectleadersinParticipatoryTheatre,

and further, would shape the educationalprocesses forstudents in HigherEducation who are studying the

subject, usually called Applied Drama,18

within the performing arts disciplines. This literature review will

identifythesourcesandintellectual ideaswhichinformtheproposedframework,fromtheconsiderablebody

ofscholarlywritingextantinthisarea.InthispaperIwilldealwiththehistoricalprecedentsforparticipatory

theatreandthehistoricalcontextfromwhichithasemergedoverthelast40years.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The history of contemporary participatory theatre begins in the middle of the 20th

Century. There emerge

three significant areas of practice which may be deemed essential to the understanding of the practice of

participatorytheatreintheUKsincethenandatthepresenttime.Theyare:theworkofDorothyHeathcote

(andGavinBolton)ineducationaldrama;thepracticeofAugustoBoalinForumTheatreandtheworkofthe

TIE(TheatreinEducation)companies,hereintheUK,inthe1970sand80sandintheEnglishspeakingworld,

mostnotablyinAustraliainthe1990s.

Therealreadyexistsaconsiderablebodyofscholarlywritingaboutthesepractitionersandareasofpractice,

accumulatedduringthelastthirtyyearsofthedevelopmentofparticipatorytheatre,whichhasforalongtime

beenanelementofuniversity teaching in the performingarts,and an elementofeducation inourschools

system,andalso,perhapsmorepertinentlyhere,abodyofsuchworkundertakenbyprofessionalpractitioners

with a wide rangeof vulnerableand excluded groups ofall kinds in our society. It is not the remit of this

project to reexamine that literature indetail, but rather to identify andexaminethe ways in which it may

contributetothepresentdiscussionoftheethicsofthisofthepractice.

Thisbodyofliterature,mostofwhichdescribes,analysesandcritiquespractice,contributessignificantlytothe

emergenceofthecentralquestionsofthisproject.Iwouldliketoidentifythesequestionsasfollows:

Wheredidtheworkwearelookingatcomefrom? Whatweretheethicsthathaveinformedit? Whataretheethicsthatinformitnow? Whatcouldanexaminationofthismaterialcontributetothedevelopmentofanethicalframework

forcurrentpracticeandtraininginthepracticeofparticipatorytheatre?

18Thetermparticipatorytheatreisusedthroughoutthisdiscussionbecausetheresearcherstaketheviewthattheactivitieswithwhich

theyareconcernedaretheatreratherthandrama,andparticipatoryratherthanapplied.Seesectiontwoforanexpansionofthisidea.


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DOROTHYHEATHCOTE.19

Inthelate60sandearly70sHeathcotesworkinDramainEducationemergedasapractice, whichwaslater

reviewedanddocumentinliterature,intwoimportantbooksandnumerousarticles(Wagner1973andONeill

andJohnson1984andvariousjournals).More recentlyabiographyofHeathcotebyGavinBolton,her long

time friend and colleague summarizes her contribution to educational drama over the last 60 years.20

However,wearehereconcernedwiththehistoricalcontextandthereforeIwillconfinemydiscussiontothe

earlierworks.

Bothinthepractice,andinthecontemporaryliteraturewhichdocumentedit,Heathcotesethicswereimplicit

ratherthanexplicit.Forexample,inWagner1972,thereisachapterheadedThresholdswhichdescribesthe

settingofboundariesnecessary fortheconductofasuccessfuldramasession,andrelatestotheemotional

safetyoftheparticipantsandconfidentialityofthework.Thesethresholdstaketheformofpracticaladvice

and do not attempt to propose an ethical framework for the work, but they do implicitly offer one. They

describeclearlythenecessityforboundariesbetweenfacilitatorsandparticipantsandbetweenthefictionof

the stageand the space occupied by theaudience or participants in their real lives. This distinction was to

become,andremains,acentralconcernpractitionersofparticipatorytheatre.Itisconnectedwiththeequally

important questions of whether the activities of participatory theatre can affect reality and of that way in

whichtheemotionalsafetyofparticipantscanbecompromisedandmustbeprotected.

AnothersignificantcharacteristicoftherelationshipbetweenHeathcoteandherparticipatinggroupsisthatof

empowerment. This is of particular significance as many of the groups she worked with were vulnerable

people:forexample,youngchildrenandthelearningdisabled. Examplesofhowherworkischaracterizedin

thiswaycanbeseeninWagnersaccountsofhertechniques,suchasMantleoftheExpertandTeacherin

Role(Wagner1973).Intheuseofthesetechniquesthepowerisdeliberatelyabrogatedbytheteacher,the

culturally assumed powerful figure, and given to the participants. By handing over the knowledge and

direction ofactivitiesand decisions to agroup of youngchildren, the teacher motivates them to learn and

discover,andbyassumingadependentrole,theteacherallowsthemtosolveproblemsandmakedecisionsin

the imaginedadultcontextof the drama.The theatreactivity becomesparticipatory to theextent that the

leadershipanddirectionof theactivity ishanded over from theassumed powerful figureof the teacheror

facilitatortothemembersoftheparticipatinggroup,howeveryoungorvulnerabletheymaybe.

At no point has either Heathcote or any of the scholars who have documented her work, laid down a

prescriptiveor explicit ethical framework,but it isclear that these two elements of settingboundaries and

empowermentarebothcentraltoherworkandimplyanethicalframework,asetofunderlyingprinciples,in

operation.

AthirdcharacteristicofHeathcotespracticeisquestioning,andasherquestionsareopenendedandthought

provoking,thistechniquemightbedescribedashavingethicalimplications.Heathcotespractice,likethatof

Theatre inEducation, isprimarilypedagogical, andtheopennessofthequestioning impliesapedagogyofa

particular kind; a pedagogy that teaches questioning and thought rather than coerces into prescribed

attitudes;apedagogythat is radical, liberalandprofoundlypolitical;apedagogy thathasbecomeacentral

characteristic ofparticipatorytheatre. ThecurrentworkinBritishuniversitiesinparticipatorytheatreremains

essentiallypedagogicalinnatureinthatpostandundergraduatestudentsaretaughtskillsandpractice.That

pedagogyretainsthespiritofradicalquestioningthatcomesfromHeathcoteswork.

19 The Dorothy Heathcote Archive is housed at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK and is a rich source of information and

materialforfurtherstudy. Visithttp://www.partnership.mmu.ac.uk/drama

20BoltonGDorothyHeathcote'sStory:TheBiographyofaRemarkableDramaTeacher2003


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To summarise, there are three aspects of Heathcotes work that can clearly be said to inform the current

practice of participatory theatre. They are the settingofboundaries, theempowerment of the given client

groupandthecentralityofopenandgenuinequestioning.

AUGUSTO

BOAL21

The same may also be said of the work of Augusto Boal, emerging in the 70s and is the most significant

influence on thepracticeofparticipatory theatrewhichhasdeveloped in thecontextof Britishuniversities

sincethattime. Boalsworkasrecorded inhisbookTheTheatreoftheOppressed, (UKtranslation1976)22

,

restsontheradicalpoliticsofthestruggleforliberationandhumanrightsandtheempowermentofminority

andvulnerablegroups.It isselfevidentthatthisworkhastohaveanethicswhichinformsthepractice,and

thisethicsisindeedcentraltotheconsiderableliteratureonhiswork.

ItisclearthattheethicalconsiderationswhichinformBoalsworkoverlapwiththoseofHeathcoteandthat,

likeher,Boal isnotexplicitinanyethicalprescriptionbutfromtheearlieststagesinthedevelopmentofhis

practiceanethicsisimpliedanddiscussed.

Boalsworkhasdeveloped,andcometoformthelynchpinofparticipatorytheatre.Mostundergraduateswill

beintroducedtothetechniquesofForumTheatreandithasbecomeclearthatthis,themostsignificantform

ofhispracticetoinfluencecurrentworkinparticipatorytheatre,cannotbeauthenticallypractisedoutsideofa

clearethicalcontext.Ithasbecomethemostused,andprobablybydefault,mostoftenmisused,techniquein

participatory theatre. For these reasons it bears a little more scrutiny here, in order to identify its implicit

ethicalcharacteristics.

Boal himself relates, in the early chapters of theTheatreof theOppressed (1976) how badly things can go

wrongifforumtheatreisapproachedwithoutafullunderstandingofitspotential,andthecorrectuseofits

techniques.

Thecreationanddevelopmentofgoodpracticeofthisformoftheatreisinformedbyareturntotheethicsof

Aristotleandhisnotionofvirtu(Boalopcitpp3335andfollowing1976).Boaltakeshisexpositionfromthe

ethics of Aristotelian tragedy, with its notion of the fatal flaw, through the politics of Machiavelli and the

philosophyofHegel,tothepointwhereherefutesthenotionofanabsolutesetofmoralvaluesandsaysthat

inthenewformoftheatreheespousesradicaldissentanddeclaresthatonlyoutofconstantpracticewillthe

newtheoryarise(Boalopcitp79).

Boal is scrupulously honest in identifying the pitfalls of working in this form of theatre, and facilitators

attempting touseitaspartoftheirpracticewoulddowelltotakeheedofhisexperienceasrecountedinthe

finalsectionofthebook,TheDevelopmentoftheArenaTheatreofSaoPaolo,(Boalopcitpp1591901976).[In

thisearlyworkheusesthetermarenatheatre;thebasisofthegroupoftechniqueslatertobecomeknown

asforumtheatre.]Intheseearlyexamplesofpracticehediscussestheproblemsattendantonthecentraltask

ofempowermentandtheneedforboundariesbetweenfictionandreality,andthequestionoftheimpactof

theworkonpeoplesreallives,asIhavealreadyidentifiedinHeathcotesworkabove.

Pertinent to this review, the book includes a chapter entitled thePoetics of theOppressed, in which Boal

outlines his thinking, his philosophy and theorising, of this own work (Boal op cit p119 1976). He gives a

thumbnailsketchoftheatrehistory,andidentifiesthemasses,theaudience,astheoppressed,andthetheatre

elite,(actorsdirectorsetc.)astheoppressors.Hedescribeswhat,tohismind,isthecrucialmomentwhenthis

21Forreliablebackgroundinformationvisithttp://www.theatreoftheoppressed.org

22TheoriginaltextwasinPortugueseandfirstpublishedinEnglishintheUnitedStatesin1973


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oppressionbegan,asthemomentwhentheroleofspectatorwasseparatedfromthatoftheactor;whenthe

spectatorbecamemerelythepassiverecipientofthework,andtheactor/theatremakerheldallthepower

overwhatwassaidanddone.Boaladvocatesareturntoparticipatorytheatre,andfromthispointonwardhis

workisfocusedonthisgoal.

Boaltalksaboutpower,andspecificallyaboutthepowerlessness,ofanyaudienceinthetheatreexperience.

This is the starting point for the ethical dimension of his work. He goes on to parallel this with the

powerlessnessinrealityofthemembersofthevulnerablegroups,theoppressedwithwhomheworks.Inthis

wayheidentifiesthepurposeofhistheatrewhichistoempowerthepowerlessandvulnerable,andtoeffect

change in their real livesthroughengagementwiththe fictionofthedrama,apurposethatremainsatthe

heartofthepracticetothisdayandismoreover,essentialtoanunderstandingofitsethics.

Boalsmission in ForumTheatre is to reverse thepowerbalance,both in the theatreand, to theextent to

which participatory theatre can be deemed transformative, in real life. He talks about how in the Forum

Theatre thespectatorstartsactingagain (p119),andtogive thepower in thetheatricaleventoverto the

participants.

Inamuchlaterwork,TheRainbowofDesire(Routledge1995)Boalgivesaconsolidationofthisprincipleintoa

useful series of practical guidelines for working ethically in Forum Theatre. The emphasis of the book on

guidanceforpracticeandwhatethicalguidancethereis,is,likeHeathcotes, impliedratherthanexplicit.

UnlikeHeathcote,whoworksinparticipatorydramaratherthantheatre,theovertpurposeofBoalsworkisto

removethebarrierthattheconventionsoftheatrehadpreviouslyplacedbetweenaudienceandstage(Boal,

1995p90). ItfollowsthatthetechniquescreatedbyBoalhavebecome,andremain,centraltomanyformsof

participatorytheatre.

Participation in the theatre experience does not take place simply because the conventions of theatre are

ignored.Itcomesaboutbecauseofwhatisputintheirplace,andiscarefullyconstructed,throughaseriesof

techniques and exercises, and development of the audiences understanding of its participatory role in

workshopswithgroupsoveraperiodoftime.Thisdevelopmentisclearlyoutlinedinthefirsttwochaptersof

TheRainbowofDesire.Initsfullydevelopedform,ForumTheatreallowsnotonlyforparticipation,butalsofor

theinterventionofaudiencemembersintheperformance,inordertochangethescriptandtheoutcomeof

theplaysevents.

Another significant characteristic, in which Boals work differs essentially from Heathcotes, is the overt

politicalnatureofitscontentandpurposeofpoliticalempowerment.Hesays:

Thepracticeofthesetheatrical formscreatesasortofuneasysenseof incompletenessthatseeks

fulfilmentthroughrealaction(Boal1979,p142).

ThepoliticsthatBoalisdealingwithinhisownpracticeisthatofthedivisionsinsocietycreatedbypoverty

andclass.Sincehisworkhasbecomecurrentamongpractitionersofparticipatorytheatre,it isapoliticshas

beenappliedtomanyotherkindsofdivisionsandexclusionsinsociety.Forthosewhotakeonthetraditionof

Boalspracticegivingintothepoliticsofcoercionisnotanoption.Itisaroundthesequestionsofpowerand

coercion that many of the ethical considerations affecting the practice of participatory theatre revolve. In

contrastpractitionerslearntoworkwithintheframeworkofliberationandradicalchange.

Coercion, however, can come from many different places in participatory theatre and can operate on a

numberofdifferentlevels.Itisoneofthemostsignificantanddifficultchallengesforthosewishingtoengage

with ethical practice. For example, coercion might be embedded in the attitude and policy of the funding

bodies, particularly if they are public or state institutions, such as charities or local authorities. Therefore


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practitionersneedaclearethicalpositionwithwhichtoresistcoercionintheinterestsofthecreativelearning

anddevelopmentoftheclientgroup.Thisiswhattheframeworkanditsinformingliteratureintendstooffer.

While participatory theatre is not a revolutionarymovement it is amovement for change and many public

institutionsandbureaucraciesresistchangeasamatterofcourse,aresistancethatisoftenaccompaniedbya

prejudice against artistic activities per se. Boals discussion of the politics and techniques of effecting such

changediscussedaboveprovideusefulprecedentsinthisrespect.

ThethirdhistoricalcontextthatbearssomeinvestigationhereisthatofTheatreinEducation,orTIE.

ThismovementbegininCoventryintheUKin1967,andhasspreadasaneducationalpracticewidelyacross

the English speaking world. In its original form it is, sadly, now defunct here in the UK, but it has had a

profoundandfarreachinginfluenceonthedevelopmentofparticipatorytheatreandonthepedagogywhich

underpinsthetraininginthispracticeinBritishUniversities.

From its inception TIE has had an overtly political and social agenda, a radical and left wing politics and a

principled pursuit in the spirit of that politics, and of social improvement. It has also had a symbiotic

relationship withmainstreameducationalprovision,albeitnotalwaysahappyone.TIEhasalwaysreliedon

interestexpressedbyindividualschoolsintheprojectstoprovideitswork.Eveninitsmostsuccessfulperiod

theprovisionandfundingofTIEinschoolwasalwaysscatteredandfragmentary. Itwasalwaysperceivedas

radicalandsubversive,anditswideinfluenceonpracticesthathavedevelopedsince,isthemoreremarkable

forthat.

In its halcyon days of preThatcher government funding, TIE focused its own ethical framework within and

responding to, and sometimes challenging, the educational mainstream. It forged its own moral agenda,

created its own values and expectations. Its principles were underpinned by the emerging culture of

inclusivenesswhichatthattimewasstyled,variouslyasmulticulturalism andequalopportunities,aculture

thathasmorerecentlybecomemainstreaminoursocietyintermsoflegalprovisionandculturalexpectation

andwhichusesalanguageofdiversityandidentity.

BehindthisagendainBritishpoliticsofthelastdecadesofthetwentiethcentury,layawiderglobalpolitical

andsocialagendaofHumanRightsandtheactivismofvariouskindsthatexpressedit.WhileTIEengagedwith

this agenda in its work in the 70s and 80s tackling racism and antifascism in its very earliest programmes,

acrosstheworlditsvoicewasechoedtothediscomfortofmany,invariousestablishments,intheemergent

UnitedNationsDeclarationofHumanRightsandingrassrootsmovementssuchasfeminism,blackcivilrights

andgayliberation. TIEwasitselfonesuchgrassrootsmovementandintunewiththetimes.

Despitelimitationsimposedbyitscontinualfightforfundingandlackofnationalrecognition,TIEconsistently

focuseditsworkonaddressingthesepoliticalissuesandtheaccompanyingsocialprobleminitsprogramme.

InherbookCanTheatreteach?(Pergammon,1983),ChristineRedingtoncapturesthemoodoftheearlydays

ofheadyoptimism.Sheoutlinesamissiontochangeinaworldreadytobechanged.Thiswasthecaseevenin

mainstream school education where TIE was initially greeted, like all arts activities, with suspicion and

mistrust.RedingtongivesausefulwellinformedandoptimisticaccountofthedevelopmentofTIEcompanies

inthe70sand80salloverEngland,anddescribestheimpactthattheirworkhadoneducationalthinkingand

practice.

The work of the TIE companies was linked with the then dominant classroom practice of teaching through

projectworkandthephilosophyofchildcentred learning.TIEwasseenasanappropriateeducationaltool,

providing stimulus and engagement; allowing for imaginative response and teaching children to think for

themselves.


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InhisbookLearningThroughTheatre(MUP1980),TonyJacksontakestheeducationalandhistorical

contextforTIEfurtherbackintheperiodoftheearly50sand60sseeingitsoriginsintheeducationaldrama

work of Peter Slade and Brian Way. Early work in TIE drew its stated aims from these origins, and they

emphasised the main purpose of their mission was to encourage an interest in theatre, rather than the

disseminationofpoliticalandsocialreform,withwhichtheprogrammesthemselveswereclearlyandovertly

preoccupied.Itisimportanttonotethatatthisstageandindeedthroughoutmostofitsheyday,TIEsinterest

inmoralvaluesandpoliticswasneverpartofitspublicagenda,althoughtheyformedtheheartofitssubject

matteranddictateditsethics.

Jackson identifies two importantcharacteristicsofthepracticeof theTIEcompanies,asa peculiar

interactionbetweenthedramaticeventandthelearningprocessandthatthepractitionersrespondtoand

learnfromtheirachievementsandmistakes(Jackson1980,introductionp.vii). Hisbookoutlinesthelegacyof

TIEwhichmaybesummarisedasan intention tonurtureandprovokechangebyaprocessofcollaborative

learning,accompaniedbyacommitmenttotheevaluationofandreflectiononpractice. Inthislegacy,which

characterizesthewayinwhichparticipatorytheatreistaughtinuniversities, thereisaclearindicationtheway

inwhichTIEhashadaprofound influenceontheconductofparticipatorytheatre intheUKeversince.This

legacy forms the core of the current concern to identify and formulate the ethics of current practice. (See

JacksonandRedingtonforexamples.)

These evaluations related to the original TIE materials and projects themselves form a subjective

ethicalframework,basedontheexperienceofeachoftheindividualprogrammesandtheirparticipants.Ifa

collectiveethicsemerges,itindicatesasensethatthecompanieshadoftheirroleasagentsofsocialchange

throughtheprovisionofadeeperandricherandlearningexperience.Theearlyevaluationsofworkinthe60s

andearly70s,(ofwhichadetailedaccountisgiveninRedington,seeabove)areconcernedwiththelearning

experienceachievedforthepupilsandforthesuccessofthetheatricalevent,ratherthanwithadiscussionof

the wider political or social impact of the content of the work. In them the actor/ teachers reflect on the

extenttowhichtheworkwasunderstoodbythechildren,ontheway inwhichthechildrenreactedandon

whetherthepieceworkedasaperformance.Theyarenotconcernedforthepoliticalorsocialimpactorfor

thepossibilityofachangingrealityasaconsequenceofwhattheyhavedone. It isalmostasthoughthis is

somehow assumed. In this they are different from the present day practitioners of participatory theatre,

whosecentralconcernsareoftenforpoliticsandthesocialproblemsofthesituationstowhichtheybringtheir

practiceandthewaysinwhichthatpracticecanaddressandseektoresolvethem.

The contribution of TIE may be summarised as offering an enriched educational experience

characterizedbythinking,questioninganddiscussion;amissiontoempowertheyoungtochangetheworldin

which they are to be citizens; energy to effect social change and to articulate political awareness, and a

commitmenttoreflectiononandcontinualimprovementofthepractice.

By1976,TIEhadalready,becauseofpoliticalantagonismandwithdrawaloffunding,beguntomove

intothewidercommunity,tolinkupwithcommunityandprofessional touringtheatreandtobecomethecore

ofamuchmorevariedpractice,whichwastobecomeknownasAppliedDrama/Theatre.Eveninthe1980s,

Jackson writes prophetically of the challenge of survival facing the arts in a recession! However, the

movementofparticipatorytheatreintoawiderthanpurelyeducationalcontextwasnotonlyforreasonsof

financialsurvival,althoughhasalwaysbeenandremainsacentralissue.Itwasamovementengenderedalso

byabroaderpoliticalagendaofsocialchange.Jacksondescribesacentralreason forthismoveasa lackof

understandingof,andindifferenceto,thebenefitstopolitical,moralandsocialeducation. Heattributesthis

prejudicetotheinsistenceonadistinctionbetweenlearningandentertainmentintheculturalmind.

Once established as part of the educational landscape in the schools sector, by the mid 1970s TIE was

declaring itscentral identityas thatofanagentofchange.This identitywasreinforcedby the formation in


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1975 of the Standing Conference of Young Peoples Theatre (SCYPT), an umbrella organisation intended to

bring together various forms of theatre and drama with which young people were engaged to share a

commonality of values, in both formal and less informal learning environments, and to develop an ethical

position. SCYPT was an organisation that has TIE at its heart and its prime movers were members of TIE

companies.

SeveralofthecontributorstoJacksonsbookemphasizethecentralityoftheemotionalexperienceto

theworkoftheTIEcompanies.GordonVallinsspeaksofavitalcommunicationbetweenpeopleofthoughts,

feelingsand ideas inresponsetoa livingsituation(Vallins inJackson1980,p4)andKathyJoycetalksofthe

directemotionalandintellectualimpactof(TIE)ontheaudience(JoyceinJackson1980,p25).

Theseemotionalpreoccupations alsohaveapoliticaldimension.InJacksonsbook,DavidPammenter

identifiesakeyideainrelationtointendedpoliticaleffectoftheprogrammes.Hediscussesthefactorswhich

governtheextentofthechildrensunderstanding,thechiefofwhichhesaysistheextenttowhichtheyhave

beenable tosecure access to understanding,and the extent towhichsocial conditioninghassucceeded in

mystifying

them

(Pammenter

in

Jackson

1980,

p43).

Here

he

suggests

that

there

is

a

conspiracy

on

the

part

of

theeducationalauthoritiestokeepchildreninthepowerlessnessofnotunderstanding.

Transferring Pammenters thoughts to themoderncontextofparticipatory theatre it is possible to

substitute language and cultural difference, bureaucracy or alienating systems for the educational

establishment,andseethe importantethicalconcernthatremainsattheheartofparticipatorytheatre,the

questionofwhetheritcanbeameansofempowermentforthedisadvantagedandexcluded.Inthiswaythe

ethicaldimensionsofTIEarelinkedwiththeimplicitethicsofbothHeathcoteandBoalandwiththepractice

oftoday.

AnotherconnectionbetweenTIEandtheotherpracticesdiscussedhereisapreoccupationwiththe

centrality of discussion and questioning in the practice of participatory work. Whereas Boal and Heathcote

emphasize the need for open ended questioning as part of the process of engagement with drama and

theatre, theTIEcompanieswereatpains,despiteaccusationsof leftwingpoliticalbias levelledatthem,to

createdialecticratherthanapoliticaldidacticasthebedrockoftheirinteractionwiththeiraudiences(Jackson

1980,p44).Theydidnotespousethepromotionofoneparticularpoliticalview,althoughtheywerefrequently

criticizedfordoingso.

Jacksoncitesoneheadmastersevaluationasclaimingthatthetheatrepiecewasdangerousbecause

ofitspoliticalovertonesanditscritiqueofirresponsiblecapitalisticenterprise(Jackson1980,p45).Itisnot

difficult to see, given this kind of remark, why TIE and other forms of participatory theatre sought a more

friendlyenvironment,andeventuallyfoundalikemindedoneinHigherEducationinthelate80sand90s.

ThecontentofTIEprogrammeswasusuallyfocusedonaddressingsocialissuesandproblems,notnecessarily

resolvingthem,butopeningthemupfordiscussion.Centraltoallcompaniesworkandallprogrammeswas

thecleareducationalobjectiveofachangeinunderstanding(BoltoninJackson,1980,p73).

Theother issuethatwashotlydebatedbythecompanies,and isstill importanttotheethicalstanceofour

contemporaryversionsofparticipatorytheatre,isthatwhichmightbebroadlydescribedasthesuspensionof

disbeliefandtheboundariesbetweenthefictionalworldofthestageandtherealworldoftheaudience.Ina

theatreformthatsetsoutwiththeexpresspurposetransgressingthoseboundaries,thishasalwaysbeen,and

remains, significant, be it with Boals audiencewho thought the actors guns were real and that they were

goingtojointheworkersintherevolutionarystruggle,totheschoolchildwhothinksthatactingoutawayof

dealingwithbullying, isactuallygoingtomaketherealbulliesgoaway.PamSchweitzer inheressay inthe

Jacksonbook,sumsuptheparadoxthatthispresentsforthepractitionerofparticipatorytheatre:


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Ononelevelwhatthechildrenareaskedforisasubjectiveresponsetoanemotionalconflict,buton

the other they are asked for ahigh degree of objectivity indealing with difficult adult questions

(SchweitzerinJackson1980,p83).

Thisraisestwoimportantethicalconsiderationsforallpractitionersthenandnow:firstaneedtoensurethat

the audience and/or participating group understands the boundaries between fiction and reality, and a

decisionastowhetherornottheworkshouldaimtoeffectanyrealsocialchange.

TheethicsofTIE reflect theeducationalethicsofa libertarianandradicalperiod inBritisheducation inthe

1970sand80s,nowsadlylonggone.By1976whenTIEmovedawayfromitsworkwithschools,theendofits

erawasalreadyinsight.Itwasthevictimfundingwithdrawal,andtheintroductionoftherigidityoftheearly

versionsoftheNationalCurriculuminschools,whichexcludedalmostallcreativeactivityfromtheclassroom.

Atthispoint,TIEandotherearlyeducationalbiasedformsofparticipatorytheatremovedundergroundinto

theburgeoningacademyofDrama,TheatreStudiesandPerformingArtswhere itcurrentlyhas itshomeas

AppliedDrama.Inmakingthatmoveitwastransformedbythetheorisingthatwasneededtocontextualize

it,despitethefactthatmostworkthatundergraduatesundertakeinthisareaispracticalandmuchofitstill

withineducationalsettingsofvariouskinds.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BoalA.,TheatreoftheOppressed.Pluto,London1979

BoalA.,TheRainbowofDesire.Routledge,London1995

JacksonT.,LearningThroughTheatre.MUP,1980

Johnson L., & ONeill C., (eds)DorothyHeathcote:CollectedWritings inEducationandDrama. Hutchinson,

1984

RedingtonC.,CanDramaTeach?PergamonPress,Oxford1983

WagnerB.J.,DorothyHeathcote:DramaasaLearningMedium.Hutchinson,1979

Of the above, Redingon is a useful and evaluative survey of TIE, and Jackson is the most ethicscentred

account.


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APPENDIX2:THEWORKSHOPMETHODOLOGYTheprincipleaimoftheworkshopwastoworkwiththeimplicitknowledgeandfeelingsofparticipantsabout

ethics,andtocreateaspace inwhichtheycould reflectonandstructure their thoughts.Theprocesswas

reflectiveandreflexive anopportunityforindividualsandgrouptorecognizetheirexistingknowledgeandto

developtheirpraxis.

Theprocessmovedbetweenintuitiveandcognitiveworkwhich:

1. openedwithanexerciseinwordassociationswhichproposedaspaceinwhichethicalconsiderationsmightexist.

2. offeredaconceptualframeworkbasedonOvalHousesfiveethicalprinciples23(referredtoasCorePrinciples,

Core

Principles

in

the

structure)

within

which

a

debate

about

the

parameters

of

ethics

couldbegin.

3. asked participants in small groups to use theatre image and Forum to share with the group anydilemmasofp

ethics of participatory theatre in high education : a framework for teaching and learning

Documents