INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY

CENTRAL RESEARCH AND CREATIVITY ONLINE

Witnessing Change: Understanding Change in Participatory Theatre Practice with Vulnerable Youth in a Kids Company Supported Primary School.

Abraham, Nicola (2017) Witnessing Change: Understanding Change in Participatory Theatre Practice with Vulnerable Youth in a Kids Company Supported Primary School. Research in Drama Education, 22 (2). pp. 233-250. ISSN 1356-9783

Abstract

This article details key findings from a longitudinal study conducted in collaboration with Kids Company, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. (AHRC). The focus of this article is the role of the ‘teacher as witness’ to the impact of a participatory theatre project with vulnerable young people. This research argues that the opportunities afforded by challenging pre-emptive constructs of vulnerable youth held by a teacher, can enable changes that take place within a workshop, which can often remain temporary and confined to the space and time of a project, to transition back into the wider school environment. Drawing upon the concept of witnessing discussed by Laub and Felman (1992), Rymaszewska (2006), Gerhardt (2004) and Coady (1992, 2002), this article proposes that witnessing change can offer a means of sustaining impact. Insights into this proposition are offered in an example case study analysis of a project I conducted within a Kids Company supported primary school setting in Lambeth, South –East London.

Download

Published Version - PDF (Journal Article. Click on the download or Official URL, bottom left hand side of the screen)

Export and Share

Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email