Olvera-Hernandez, S., Novo, P., Martin-Ortega, J. orcid.org/0000-0003-0002-6772 et al. (2 more authors) (2025) Challenges and opportunities of using applied theatre in environmental decision-making: the views of practitioners. Ecology and Society, 30 (2). 35. ISSN: 1708-3087
Abstract
Applied theatre techniques are emerging in the environmental realm as promising methods for better representing local people’s values in decision-making. These are dramaturgic activities conducted outside ordinary theatre institutions to discuss conflicts based on power differences. We purposively interviewed practitioners who have been part of environmental research projects that have implemented applied theatre techniques in the Global South, including professors, research assistants, postdoctoral researchers, and postgraduate students. Their projects explored aspects such as (a) the extent to which these techniques can enable dialogues on values and power differences, (b) the practicality of implementing these techniques, and (c) open spaces for transformation. Practitioners described how local people negotiated their plural values through applied theatre, and how the techniques create opportunities for reflection on how local people experience power differences, thus fostering some agency for people to bring their own experiences and needs to the discussion. As such, we identified applied theatre as a technique for fostering social-ecological transformations, and thus encouraging small but meaningful changes. However, to be successful, it requires creating “safe-enough” spaces for discussions and implementing an ethics of care. Despite the opportunities presented by these techniques in these projects, further research is needed on the long-term impacts of applied theatre on promoting social-ecological changes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 by the author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | environmental decisions; ethics of care; performance arts-based methods; power differences; values toward nature |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) ES/T501955/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Apr 2025 09:00 |
Last Modified: | 08 Aug 2025 10:27 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Resilience Alliance |
Identification Number: | 10.5751/ES-16113-300235 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:225466 |