Performing the Micro-Social: Using Theatre to Debate Research Findings on Everyday Life, Health and Well-Being

Abstract

This paper describes and critically assesses the use and development of a model of participatory theatre to reappropriate the ways in which a place in the deindustrialized south Wales valleys is represented. Neo-liberal policies which focus on individual responsibility, conditionality, sanctions and incentives frame the production of statistics on health inequality and deprivation in particular ways. While 'place' can be a resource for expressing positive identities this presents people living in economically under-resourced areas with a problem if that place-based identity is also subject to vilification. In this paper we focus on three objectives: to explore negative stereotypes of a post-industrial community; to describe the methods and process of working alongside local people to offer alternative ways of understanding place; and to discuss the implications of using community theatre for policy and practice. We argue that theatre-based forms of place-making and dialogue can create spaces where policy issues, such as health and well-being, can be discussed in the context of everyday local concerns. Meanings in common are generated in ways that create affective understandings of place and the impact of economic change and crisis (Jones et al., 2013). These co-productive processes are uncertain, emergent, and risky and need to be managed carefully in the context of trustful relations.

Touchy Art: A Phenomenological Approach to Artistic Practice in Stigmatised Neighbourhoods

“…Although there has been growing academic interest in community arts practices (Khan, 2015), this tends to focus on the instrumental possibilities of involvement in the arts, such as promoting personal and community development, rather than exploring its expressive and experimental possibilities. Fewer studies consider the potential of artistic practices to enable people living in stigmatised neighbourhoods to reflect on, and portray, their own lives in ways that are personally and socially meaningful (for a recent example, see Byrne, Elliot & Williams, 2016). In pointing to the potential of arts practices, we do not imply that artistic expression is intrinsically socially transformative.…”

Stigma, class, and ‘respect’: Young people’s articulation and management of place in a post-industrial estate in south Wales

“…Whilst our main involvement was in Llanmerin, both studies covered people living in other areas of Merthyr identified as part of Wales' anti-poverty programme (Communities First). For a discussion of Merthyr's stigmatisation, see (Byrne et al, 2015(Byrne et al, , 2016Renold et al, 2020;Thomas, 2016;Thomas et al, 2018).…”

“…The focus was on communities perceived to be 'misrecognised' through health data which, as a consequence, provided unhelpful and, in some ways, harmful recommendations for health improvement. Data on 'indexes of multiple deprivation', for instance, ranks 'places' in terms of 'how poorly the people in communities are faring in relation to health, education, employment and other key indicators' (Byrne et al, 2016). Whilst such statistical representations are designed to highlight areas of need and to guide policy development and government investment, they simultaneously create 'geographies of lack' (Rose, 2006) which frames residents as passive, trapped, and disengaged.…”

“…In this paper, we focus upon photovoice and The People's Platform. For an extensive discussion of the methods, see (Byrne et al, 2015(Byrne et al, , 2016. Both projects received ethical approval from the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee.…”

“…They created a texting dialogue which expressed their desire for more agency in their lives, perhaps highlighting that action can also take place within social media interactions. For more details of the progress and the performances, see (Byrne et al, 2016).…”