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The Applied Theatre Reader Chapter 1 Summary

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“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.” (Boal) Applied theatre is an umbrella term that covers theatre and drama in non-traditional settings with marginialised members of societies; with focus customarily on relevant social and cultural issues of those socieities. The Applied Theatre Reader by Tim Prentki and Sheila Preston consists of chapters by various authors who have experienced and been involved with the practice of applied theatre first-hand, and who share these experiences in the book. Three chapters that I found interesting and engaging were Chapter 7 (“Lift your mask”), Chapter 39 (“Is this the play?”), and Chapter …show more content…

The chapter focuses on the use of interactive theatre to promote safe sex for teenagers. “Are we there yet?” is a combined play and workshop created by health professionals and educators as a means of educating teens on the practice of safe sex, and the risks associated with unprotected sexual intercourse. Statistically, 3 in 10 American teenagers will be pregnant at least one time before the age of 20, with close to 750,000 teen pregnancies happening in America annually; an issue that is the leading reason for teenage girls in America dropping out of high school, with over 50% never graduating. (DoSomething.org) With an alarming rise of teens engaging in sexual intercourse at young ages, the risk of STDs become more evident with, “young people between the ages of 15 to 24 [accounting] for 50% of all new STDs.” (DoSomething.org) “Are we there yet?” is a play that aims to prevent theses risks through education on the issue via interactive theatre. It was established by Concrete Theatre alongside Planned Parenthood Edmonton. The play takes a comedic approach in addressing the topic of sex; using driving a car as a metaphor for sex (for example, gearshift lever = boy parts, glove compartment = girl parts, headlights = breasts). This engages the young audience who would instantaneously feel more comfort in engaging in a sex-related discussion. Selman states that humour is, “too often lost in discussions of popular and educational theatre.” (Selman) Laughter allows what many young audience members would deem an embarrassing topic to become a humorous, enjoyable one. Many characters are included in the play with varying personalities to allow the audience to find one that they can relate to and care about. Approximately half of the performance involves audience interaction, making it a heavily engaging piece of theatre. This active engagement with

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