Applied Theatre Research - Current Issue

During the second half of the 2012–13 theatre season, we mapped all then-existing educational theatre practices in Hungary against a standardized set of criteria. We contacted a total of 298 institutions and observed 118 programmes in person. For each programme, we collected data from six sources: children or youth participating in the programmes; teachers accompanying the participants; organizational contact persons; creators/performers of the programmes; observing of the programmes by independent observers; and secondary research on the internet. In this article, we present the descriptive statistical analysis of the findings. Areas covered include the role and significance of educational theatre; programme financing; participants and programme admission; number and length of sessions; programme venues; strategies and interactivity; aims and objectives; impacts; opinions; and relevance.

During the second half of the 2012–13 theatre season, we mapped all then-existing educational theatre practices in Hungary against a standardized set of criteria. We contacted a total of 298 institutions and observed 118 programmes in person. For each programme, we collected data from six sources: children or youth participating in the programmes; teachers accompanying the participants; organizational contact persons; creators/performers of the programmes; observing of the programmes by independent observers; and secondary research on the internet. In this article, we present an interpretative qualitative analysis of the findings. Covered areas include whether a programme could alter prejudice and bias, whether post-show workshops can find solutions to issues raised by theatre performances and whether participant children and youth can link performances and programmes to current Hungarian events.

The increased reliance on online platforms such as Zoom and Teams for skills training for allied health specialists has presented new challenges for the actor and the actor trainer. The research reported in this article grew out of a project set up to investigate these challenges. Since 2021, members of the Deakin University Theatre Department have been collaborating with the charity Anglicare Victoria to deliver online training for Rapid Response social workers who work with families in danger of having their children removed. This has involved recruiting and training actors to act as family members in relevant scenarios in ‘real play’ online simulations so the Anglicare Rapid Response trainee can develop essential skills. Within a practice-led research approach, we ask what might be required when this live embodied skillset is moved online. The article utilizes observations of the video recordings of the training sessions, recordings of debrief sessions and reflections from the author-actors to report on an emerging approach for preparing actors for this type of engagement. We reflect on the ways improvisation is impacted using the ‘online performance’ space, especially how status, eye gaze, body positioning and mise en scène can be utilized in the online environment. We also consider the importance of actor self-care. The article offers a basis of training for a field of endeavour that is becoming more prevalent in the post-COVID world: online simulation scenarios for care workers.

The 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play – a giant applied theatre project with almost 2000 participants, running for 110 performances over five months with a run time of over 5 hours – provides an opportunity to study how community participants use applied theatre’s ‘dead time’: the unstructured, unfacilitated time between onstage appearances. This study argues that in the tight spaces backstage, participants talk, play and engage in acts of care and mentorship, imbuing the dead time with tremendous social value. In fact, much to the initial surprise of the authors, most participants described their interest in the project as being primarily anchored in this dead time, rather than the staged action. These findings leave us with many salient questions for the field of applied theatre, and more research will be needed across varying contexts to better understand how to mitigate the social risks of dead time while invigorating its community-building potential.

Completing Ph.D. degrees in western or European countries has long been a practice for students and researchers around the world, which contributes to scientific productivity, allows for international recognition and encourages international ties and collaboration between researchers from different countries. Many of these doctoral students conduct data collection for their research projects in their native language in their home country before moving on to the analysis and interpretation stages with the support of language translation. The quality of the translation process and interpretation of data has a huge impact on the ultimate effectiveness and success of proposed interventions. However, conducting data collection in one’s native language, particularly in creative arts such as drama, presents unique challenges for translation and interpretation processes. This article reflects upon the challenges encountered during the translation of data from two original sources – one in Australia and one in Sri Lanka – during an investigation of a process drama intervention. It discusses the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of research methodologies within different educational contexts, emphasizing the importance of considering these factors for ensuring research credibility and validity. By addressing these challenges, educators and researchers can create more inclusive and impactful learning environments for students across diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

This case study examined the drama education received by preservice primary school teachers in terms of both theoretical and practical aspects. The sample consisted of seventeen preservice primary school teachers (thirteen women and four men) from the Department of Classroom Education of the Faculty of Education of a public university in Türkiye. Data were collected using drama lesson plans, practice lesson diaries, semi-structured interview questions and metaphors. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. The results showed that participants held misconceptions regarding drama lesson methods and techniques in their lesson plans. Participants had difficulty managing their classrooms while implementing their plans and they did not fully understand dramatization. Moreover, their classrooms were too crowded for drama activities. Participants stated that drama made the lessons more fun. They noted that drama helped them develop creativity and interact with their classmates. They also added that drama made them feel free. They regarded drama as a method or technique that could be used in any course. Researchers should conduct further qualitative and quantitative studies to examine drama’s ‘discipline’ dimension and to form a basis for needs analysis for its use in education.