Peacebuilding and the Theatre Arts

Abstract

Burbridge and Stevenson consider a single work of live theatre in the context of the present conflict in Israel/Palestine. They wrestle with the question of whether the experiences that a member of an audience might have in the imagined world of theatre can contribute to building peace in the real world. To answer this they focus upon a particular production, which sought to avoid using polemical, propagandist or “agitprop” theatre and instead explored the Palestinian/Israeli conflict through a series of tense familial and neighbour relations. They highlight how theatre can explore the ambiguity, messiness and unpredictablity of both staging a play and individual conflicts. By focusing upon theatre’s collaborative practices they show how theatre can become a safe space where difficult memories and dangerous ideas can be creatively explored.