Applied Theatre, Socially Engaged Practice
& Cultural Work
Applied theatre is socially-engaged practice. It is performance with the intention of improving society and provoking social change. It is also called cultural work because it uses the elements, symbols and tools of culture - stories, songs, poems, plays - to do the work of social change.
Seen as colloborative and participatory, it blurs the distinctions between actor and audience, creator and spectator. When engaging with communities, traditionally marginalised by society, it aspires to be emancipatory, offering voice to the unheard.
Applied theatre has it's origins in traditions such as community theatre, drama for education and theatre for development. It is often, but not exclusively, performed in spaces that are not traditionally seen as theatres. Venues such as community halls, classrooms, even street theatres (literally theatre in alleyways).
There remains much debate around the value of the aesthetic element in applied theatre. Equally, whether it is the process of colloborative making or the quality of product, that holds more weight.
I am of the view that all the elements require balance. My work has attended to process and product, engagement and aesthetic. I believe that when art is moving, meaningful even beautiful, it has much more transformative potential. I also know that I have done plenty of work in community spaces, but there is something awe-inspiring, almost spiritual, when sharing in the hallowed space of a beautiful theatre. If you can create the atmosphere, intimacy and ambience of a theatre in a community space - even better. We managed, on a couple of occasions at the Ismaili Centre. For more on that work - see below...
My experience comes from my practice in grass-roots theatre within the Ismaili Muslim community over the last two decades. We are a mixed diaspora community, benefitting from a rich plurality of cultural traditions, spanning the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and the Middle East. We have been established in the UK for 3 - 4 generations now. Our performances, orignally the domain of youth and young adults, became an intergenerational endevour, connecting our past with our present and looking to our future.
Our theatre was by the community and primarily for the community - concerned with the issues that meant something to us.
Here I learnt to write and direct, supported by dedicated teams of Ismaili volunteers, co-creating and performing. Though we were volunteers, we wanted to raise the bar in our performance and professionalism. Where possible, we collaborated with and learnt from, Ismaili artists in the industry and professionals commissioned from outside the community - when we needed it. We borrowed theatrical techniques, ensured rigourous rehearsals and upped our technical production, to create more ambitious performances. Our companies stretched to as large as 100 individuals, playing to audiences of 100-1000 and doing runs of 3 -6 shows.
For me, the process and product were equally important. All of us grew in skill and confidence at each workshop and rehearsal and there was much to be gained from the community cohesion sparked by the playful process of creating together. However, it was the impact of that final production - a source of pride for the community, where the magic truly came alive.
In those theatres, in the midst of the entertainment and escapism, the stage became a mirror to our community. Here we learnt more about ourselves. As we became more confident in the quality and professionalism of our shows, we began to invite our friends, neighbours and colleagues - so they might learn more about us. Those productions became so important to our sense of identity and belonging- within the community and beyond, in the country we now called home.
Shermina Kumari
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