A participatory arts application of Playback Theatre to transitional justice in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Responding to transitional justice circumstances in Sri Lanka, Theatre of Friendship connects groups from Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim backgrounds. We use Playback Theatre as a participatory arts approach to transitional justice, working to build covenantal pluralism. As our work has evolved, we have extended the principle of emergence within Playback Theatre to broaden the mix of artistic disciplines we use. This gives us greater scope to adapt, which in turn encourages local ownership.