Process drama and co-creation: Democratic participation in museum education

Norwegian museums play a role as institutions of democratization, their goal being – among other things – the implementation of dialogue-based and participatory education programmes. This article is based on the process drama Gundell Olsdatter, developed in 2014–15 at Steilneset Memorial in Vardø, associated with Varanger Museum, in the very north of Norway. The project focuses on the pupils’ opportunities for participation and involvement in the process drama, in conjunction with philosopher Carl Cohen’s three dimensions of democracy: breadth, depth and width. In this article, I analyse and discuss how process drama as a framework may facilitate co-creation within museum education, thus helping to make the education more democratic and participatory. The findings show that certain dramatic conventions provide a deeper degree of participation by providing the students with practice in involvement and decision-making. Through the dramatic process, the pupils become not only spectators, but also contributors to the knowledge and mediation process.