Social Work and theatre: considering intersections

Theatre is a cultural and artistic form that involves a process of communication between creators and is received in a space and time located in the public sphere, which has meant that, over the centuries, it has acted as a space for expression, exchange and debate regarding all manner of ideas, causes and struggles. Implicit within this process are processes of expression, creation and reception, by way of which people demonstrate, analyse and question ways of seeing and understanding life, and ways of being and existing in the world. This gives rise to educational, cultural, social and political potential, which has been endorsed in numerous studies and investigations. In this work, in which theoretical orientation is established through a review of the relevant literature, we consider different intersections that occur between theatre and social work in order to also show that dramatic and theatrical expression offers substantive methodologies for achieving some objectives of social work, particularly in areas such as critical literacy, reflexivity and recognition, awareness raising, social participation, personal and/or community development, ownership of cultural capital and access to personal and social wellbeing.

“A Labour Leader in a Frothy Scoundrel”: Farce and Social Justice in the Popular Dramaturgy of George Shiels

In the financially precarious period which followed the partition of Ireland (1922) the Northern Irish playwright George Shiels kept The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, open for business with a series of ‘box-office’ successes. Literary Dublin was not so appreciative of his work as the Abbey audiences dubbing his popular dramaturgy mere ‘kitchen comedy’. However, recent analysts of Irish theatre are beginning to recognise that Shiels used popular theatre methods to illuminate and interrogate instances of social injustice both north and south of the Irish border. In doing so, such commentators have set up a hierarchy between the playwright’s early ‘inferior’ comedies and his later ‘superior’ works of Irish Realism. This article rejects this binary by suggesting that in this early work Shiels’s intent is equally socially critical and that in the plays Paul Twyning, Professor Tim and The Retrievers he is actively engaging with the farcical tradition in order to expose the marginalisation of the landless classes in Ireland in the post-colonial jurisdictions.

Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo : Memoria colectiva, identidades y espacios público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinea [2010-2012]

La tesis de maestría 'Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo. Memoria colectiva, identidades, y espacio público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena [2010-2012]', indaga en las operaciones de memoria, la constitución de identidades y los procesos construcción/ reapropiación del espacio público, que tienen lugar en las prácticas de este grupo de teatro. Dentro del proceso de creación colectiva de la obra, se reconstruyen interpretaciones del pasado compartido, tensiones que dan cuenta de las lógicas que estructuran la selección de los hechos a contar, valores y representaciones que visibilizan un modo de percibir/ construir las identidades. El Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena, la primera organización social que existe en el pueblo, configura un experiencia colectiva novedosa, que instaura nuevas lógicas de sociabilidad, genera vínculos con el 'afuera' y reivindica la bandera de resistencia y el reclamo de visibilización a través de la práctica cultural. Dentro de las dinámicas relacionales que atraviesan el grupo, observamos ciertas tendencias jerárquicas en los vínculos entre la directora y los vecinos que conforman el grupo 'lo que se percibe como una dificultad a superar- estructuradas en el fuerte liderazgo construido por la directora. Una Legitimidad configurada sobre los saberes reconocidos, virtudes heredadas y capacidades comprobadas en la práctica, que se perciben en los testimonios de los vecinos-actores. La conformación del Grupo de Teatro Comunitario de Rivadavia -compuesto por doscientos vecinos de seis pueblos del Partido de Rivadavia (incluido Sansinena)-, da cuenta de los alcances de este fenómeno, que deberá seguir estudiándose desde diversas perspectivas, a fin de visibilizar la relevancia que esta práctica cultural adquiere, tanto a nivel local como nacional

Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo : Memoria colectiva, identidades y espacios público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinea [2010-2012]

La tesis de maestría 'Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo. Memoria colectiva, identidades, y espacio público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena [2010-2012]', indaga en las operaciones de memoria, la constitución de identidades y los procesos construcción/ reapropiación del espacio público, que tienen lugar en las prácticas de este grupo de teatro. Dentro del proceso de creación colectiva de la obra, se reconstruyen interpretaciones del pasado compartido, tensiones que dan cuenta de las lógicas que estructuran la selección de los hechos a contar, valores y representaciones que visibilizan un modo de percibir/ construir las identidades. El Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena, la primera organización social que existe en el pueblo, configura un experiencia colectiva novedosa, que instaura nuevas lógicas de sociabilidad, genera vínculos con el 'afuera' y reivindica la bandera de resistencia y el reclamo de visibilización a través de la práctica cultural. Dentro de las dinámicas relacionales que atraviesan el grupo, observamos ciertas tendencias jerárquicas en los vínculos entre la directora y los vecinos que conforman el grupo 'lo que se percibe como una dificultad a superar- estructuradas en el fuerte liderazgo construido por la directora. Una Legitimidad configurada sobre los saberes reconocidos, virtudes heredadas y capacidades comprobadas en la práctica, que se perciben en los testimonios de los vecinos-actores. La conformación del Grupo de Teatro Comunitario de Rivadavia -compuesto por doscientos vecinos de seis pueblos del Partido de Rivadavia (incluido Sansinena)-, da cuenta de los alcances de este fenómeno, que deberá seguir estudiándose desde diversas perspectivas, a fin de visibilizar la relevancia que esta práctica cultural adquiere, tanto a nivel local como nacional

Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo : Memoria colectiva, identidades y espacios público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinea [2010-2012]

La tesis de maestría 'Recuerdos, espejos y lugares en el teatro comunitario argentino contemporáneo. Memoria colectiva, identidades, y espacio público en las prácticas del Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena [2010-2012]', indaga en las operaciones de memoria, la constitución de identidades y los procesos construcción/ reapropiación del espacio público, que tienen lugar en las prácticas de este grupo de teatro. Dentro del proceso de creación colectiva de la obra, se reconstruyen interpretaciones del pasado compartido, tensiones que dan cuenta de las lógicas que estructuran la selección de los hechos a contar, valores y representaciones que visibilizan un modo de percibir/ construir las identidades. El Grupo de Teatro Popular de Sansinena, la primera organización social que existe en el pueblo, configura un experiencia colectiva novedosa, que instaura nuevas lógicas de sociabilidad, genera vínculos con el 'afuera' y reivindica la bandera de resistencia y el reclamo de visibilización a través de la práctica cultural. Dentro de las dinámicas relacionales que atraviesan el grupo, observamos ciertas tendencias jerárquicas en los vínculos entre la directora y los vecinos que conforman el grupo 'lo que se percibe como una dificultad a superar- estructuradas en el fuerte liderazgo construido por la directora. Una Legitimidad configurada sobre los saberes reconocidos, virtudes heredadas y capacidades comprobadas en la práctica, que se perciben en los testimonios de los vecinos-actores. La conformación del Grupo de Teatro Comunitario de Rivadavia -compuesto por doscientos vecinos de seis pueblos del Partido de Rivadavia (incluido Sansinena)-, da cuenta de los alcances de este fenómeno, que deberá seguir estudiándose desde diversas perspectivas, a fin de visibilizar la relevancia que esta práctica cultural adquiere, tanto a nivel local como nacional

Discours et pratiques du théâtre populaire : le cas du Théâtre Populaire du Québec de 1963 à 1976

Le théâtre populaire, concept chargé des finalités les plus diverses, sʼinstitutionnalise en France à la fin du XIXe siècle, notamment grâce à Romain Rolland, Firmin Gémier, Jacques Copeau, Jean Vilar et Bertolt Brecht. De nombreuses traces de ces réflexions et pratiques se retrouvent dans le théâtre québécois, et tout au long de lʼexistence du Théâtre Populaire du Québec (TPQ) dont ce mémoire veut dégager les principaux éléments de la pensée artistique des directions successives pour les confronter aux programmes établis de la fondation de la compagnie en 1963 jusquʼen 1976. Au cours de cette période qui sʼest avérée déterminante dans le domaine de la production théâtrale au Québec, lʼhistoire de la compagnie met en lumière les paradoxes et les apories du concept de théâtre populaire.

A.J. Raffles and Arsène Lupin in Literature, Theatre, and Film: On The Transnational Adaptations of Popular Fiction (1905-1930)

As a consequence of the accelerating technological development and the impact of cultural globalisation, the transnational aspects of the process of adaptation have become increasingly crucial in recent years. To go back to the very beginnings of the twentieth century and research the historical connections between popular literature, theatre, and film can shed greater light on the origins of these phenomena. By focusing on two case studies from turn-of-the-century crime fiction, this paper examines the extent to which practices of serialisation, translation, and adaptation of literary works contributed to the formation of a transnational market for popular culture. Ernest W. Hornung’s A. J. Raffles and Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin were the heroes of two crime series that were immediately translated, imitated, and adapted into countless theatrical plays and films all over the world. Given the resemblance between the two characters, the two franchises frequently ended by overlapping. Their ability to move from a medium to another as well as from a country to another was the result of the logic of ‘recycling, remaking, retelling’ (Brian Naremore) that guides not only the process of adaptation but also the creation of any work of popular culture.

"Theatre of the dancing language" : new possibilities in contemporary Australian playwrighting

This study focuses on trends in contemporary Australian playwrighting, discussing recent investigations into the playwrighting process. The study analyses the current state of this country’s playwrighting industry, with a particular focus on programming trends since 1998. It seeks to explore the implications of this current theatrical climate, in particular the types of work most commonly being favoured for production. It argues that Australian plays are under-represented (compared to non-Australian plays) on ‘mainstream’ stages and that audiences might benefit from more challenging modes of writing than the popular three-act realist play models. The thesis argues that ‘New Lyricism’ might fill this position of offering an innovative Australian playwrighting mode. New Lyricism is characterised by a set of common aesthetics, including a non-linear narrative structure, a poetic use of language and magic realism. Several Australian playwrights who have adopted this mode of writing are identified and their works examined. The author’s play Floodlands is presented as a case study and the author’s creative process is examined in light of the published critical discussions about experimental playwriting work.

The practice of adaptation : turning fact and fiction into theatre

Adaptation of novels and other source texts into theatre has proven to be a recurring and popular form of writing through the ages. This study argues that as the theoretical discourse has moved on from outmoded notions of fidelity to original sources, the practice of adaptation is a method of re-invigorating theatre forms and inventing new ones. This practice-led research employed a tripartite methodology comprised of the writing of two play adaptations, participation by the author/researcher in their productions, and exegetical components focused on the development and deployment of analytical tools. These tools were derived from theoretical literature and a creative practice based on acquired professional artistry "learnt by doing" over a longstanding professional career as actor, director and writer. A suite of analytical tools was developed through the three phases of the first project, the adaptation of Nick Earls’ novel Perfect Skin. The tools draw on Cardwell’s "comparative analysis", which encompasses close consideration of generic context, authorial context and medium-specific context; and on Stam’s "mechanics of narrative": order, duration, frequency, the narrator and point of view. A third analytical lens was developed from an awareness of the significance of the commissioning brief and ethical considerations and obligations to the source text and its author and audience. The tripartite methodology provided an adaptation template that was applied to the writing and production of the second play Red Cap, which used factual and anecdotal sources. The second play’s exegesis (Chapter 10) analyses the effectiveness of the suite of analytical tools and the reception of the production in order to conclude the study with a workable model for use in the practice of adapting existing texts, both factual and fictional, for the theatre.

The popular mechanicals

In Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, six workers aspire to present a play for the Royal Wedding. We see their efforts and their antics in the framework of the Royal Court and the supernatural fairy world. We love them for their simplicity, laugh at their homespun ways and forgive their stumbles as they perform their play in the royal presence. In the marvellous irreverence of The Popular Mechanicals, Keith Robinson and Tony Taylor have thrown Shakespeare to the mercy of Australian larrikin humour and placed the lowly workers centre stage. This is A Midsummer Night's Dream without the Royals. Shakespeare's mechanicals become the stars, the kings of their own world, where dreams can come true, if only for a moment. With the innocence of clowns they love life, feel joy, know fear, bear sadness. In the end it is we the audience who become the Royal presence, to judge them if we dare.

The prankster’s passion: Using theatrical terms to unpack players motivations in popular social performance

Amongst social players, the prank, as a social performance form, holds a lot of potential to impact on personal, relational and social status within a group or between one group and another group. More than simply showing off, a prank in the strictest definition of the term, is a social performance in which one player, a prankster, deploys mischief, trickery or deceit, to cause a moment of anxiety, fear or anger about a happening for another spectator-become-collaborating-player, a prankee – to enhance social bonds, entertain, or comment on a social, cultural or political phenomenon. During a prank, the prankster’s ability to be creative, clever or culturally astute, and the prankee’s ability to be duped, be a good sport, play along, or even play/pay the prankster back, both become fodder for other spectators and society to scrutinize. In Australia, pranking traditions are popular with many social groups, from the community-building pranks of footballers, bucks parties and ‘drop bear’ tales told to tourists, to the more controversial pranks of radio shock jocks, activists and artists. In this paper, I consider whether theatrical terms – theoretical terms from the stage such as actor, acting, objective, arc, performance, audience and emotion, such as those offered by Joseph Roach – are useful in understanding the passion some social players show for pranksterism. Are theatrical terms such as Roach’s as useful as analysts of social self-performance such as Erving Goffman suggest they are? Do they assist in understanding the personal actions, reactions and emotions of prankster and prankee? Do they assist in understanding the power relations between prankster and prankee? Do they assist in understanding the relation between the prank – be it an everyday prank amongst families, friends and coworkers, an entertainment program prank of the sort seen on Prank Patrol, Punked or Scare Tactics, or an activist pranks perpetrated by a guerrilla artist, ‘jammers’ or ‘hackers’ intent on turning dominant social systems back on themselves – the social players, and the public sphere in which the prank takes place? I reflect on how reading pranks as performances, by players, for highly participatory audiences, helps understand why they are so prevalent, and so recurrent across times, cultures and contexts, and also so controversial when not performed well enough – or when performed too well – prompting outrage from the prankster, prankee or society as passionate as any debate about a performance by players in a theatre.

Most Haunted and the Convergence of Traditional Belief and Popular Television

Koven, M. (2007). Most Haunted and the Convergence of Traditional Belief and Popular Television. Folklore. 118(2), pp.183-202. RAE2008

Folklore Studies and Popular Film and Television: A Necessary Critical Survey

Koven, M. (2003). Folklore Studies and Popular Film and Television: A Necessary Critical Survey. Journal of American Folklore. 116(460), pp.176-195. RAE2008