The Dury’s Out: Participatory drama and applied theatre processes as ways of addressing radicalized thinking – a pilot study

Governments globally are wrestling with the growing challenges of radicalized thinking and violent extremism. How can participatory drama or applied theatre processes be used to address radicalized thinking in young people? This article reports the findings of a pilot study conducted with two Australian secondary schools – one government and one Muslim – implementing an education resource focused closely on critical thinking and participatory drama to explore the themes of choice and consequence. The project was created in response to a film – The Dury’s Out – which was made by young Melbourne Muslims wishing to highlight the role of the media in shaping Australian’s thinking about Islam and radicalization. The project included federal, state, community and academic partners.