Performing the Lived Experiences of LGBTQIA+ Individuals From Religious Backgrounds

This article shares the playscript of an ethnodrama by and about people from religious backgrounds who identify as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Aromantic; “+” refers to the multitude of other identities included within Queerness and/or Transness) that was devised and performed at Utah State University. The applied theater project sought to understand, value, and share these peoples’ experiences, including the myriad roles religion played in their lives. Applied theater works to inspire social change through the performance of live productions. This project strove to help amplify the participants’ voices as they explored topics and issues that they uniquely face. The central research question for this project was “How do people from religious backgrounds who identify as LGBTQIA+ understand, process, and interact with individuals and institutions they encounter on a regular basis?” Specific themes and topics included familial responses to participants’ queer and religious identities, how participants sought to find and create community, how they experienced acceptance and rejection, and ways religious belief intersected with their queer identities.

Applied theater: Using improvisation in social services as an illustrating example

Summary Since the practice of interdisciplinary collaboration in applied theater for social work with children and youth in Hong Kong is rare, this study explores its applicability for maximizing beneficial outcomes. An improv group for youth was jointly conducted by a social worker and a theater tutor. A mixed-methods study was undertaken involving 38 undergraduate university students to evaluate group effectiveness. Findings Quantitative results showed that participants displayed enhanced personal growth and sense of self, and the interaction effect between the intervention and improvisational activities was significant. Qualitative results indicated that participants assessed the collaboration between the two professional tutors as effective for enhancing participants’ self-understanding and various capacities to handle life challenges. Applications Interdisciplinary collaboration in applied theater is advocated for social work practice, so as to further strengthen the development of participants’ insight.

Teacher! Teacher! An Artistic Exploration of the True-Story Troubles and Triumphs of First-Year Teachers

New teachers often feel unprepared to meet the demands of the profession, and attrition rates indicate approximately half will leave within their first 5 years. To address this problem, this applied theater project utilized ethnodrama, integrating research and performance, to stage the stories of first-year teachers. Researchers interviewed 18 first-year teachers and an ensemble of performers then developed a series of monologues, dances, poems, songs, and scenes. These vignettes fit within three categories: (a) The Beginning; (b) The Students; and (c) The Profession. This script documents that performance.

anecdotal

A poem based on an encounter with an audience member by the author following a prison theater production that the author was in as a mentor actor working alongside male inmates. The poem was presented as part of a panel on Applied Theater and Change—that is, how are we to know that change has occurred as a result of an applied theater experience or performance—at the triennial International Drama in Education Research Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand in July of 2018.