The Methuen Drama Handbook of Performance and Social Action

Presenting a sweeping view of performance practice, innovation, and reformation from around the world, this anthology demonstrates how the arts and theatre makers are urgently reshaping the way we must now represent, facilitate, and protest.

A vital resource for scholars and students in performance studies, applied theatre, and performance activism, this handbook showcases how drama can be a practical tool to address social inequalities and support political transformation.

Presenting a sweeping view of performance practice, innovation, and reformation from around the world, this interdisciplinary handbook explores how performance can illuminate injustice and serve as a catalyst for change. Comprised of 19 essays and featuring an international array of scholars and practitioners, the handbook examines how artists are engaging with communities to address a wide range of issues, including:

Marginalization and discrimination
Racism and ethnic violence
Immigration and citizenship
Environmental and ecological crisis
Prisons and criminal justice
Community care and mutual aid

Essays range from applied theatre case studies that address localized community issues, to broader strategies which highlight overlooked contributions from the Global Majority. They included studies of prison theatre in Brazil, the legacy of gay Chicano playwright Gregg Barrios, San Diego’s Centro Cultural de la Raza and the power of space, the effectiveness of Indian Street Performance as public intervention, using theatre to tackle ageism and shame, and a participatory theatre project with LGBTIQ+ Zimbabwean youth. Together these diverse perspectives demonstrate how work in theatres, communities, and classrooms can address inequality, foster civic engagement, and contribute to social change.