First do no harm: Informed consent principles for trust and understanding in applied theatre practice

In this article, we propose new structural approaches to facilitating applied theatre practice, specifically in theatre forms developed to address oppression. The intention of these activities is to highlight the power of choice in a given oppressive situation to help participants find practical ways of addressing such issues. One way the practice can do this is by inviting participants to reveal their personal oppressions. Without careful preparation, participants can find themselves participating in emotionally-charged situations. We argue that applied theatre practitioners can adapt the concept of informed consent to ensure participants have a clear understanding of the work. Informed consent is the practice of clearly stating and agreeing upon the work of therapy before entering into it. In this article, we present a practical model for theatre practitioners to add informed consent to their practice so as to enhance the process for both participants and practitioners.