Foreword

Acting Together offers us a unique gift in the pursuit of recuperating our sense of humanity in a world too often torn with violation. For the first time on a world stage the authors have gathered the truth of lived experience and the truth of empirical observation in reference to the extraordinary development and use of theatre before, during and after conflict. In these pages we find exploration into the philosophy of how social change emerges with art and we find the tools of theatre’s craft and genius, from streets and villages to the polished performance of stages in stately halls. This extensive and singular collection of experiences and reflections of artists and scholars, crosses continents, levels of society, cultures, and languages. The structure of the volume suggests the imaginative and transformative quality of narrative and story whether it focuses on theatre in times when the guns are raging or when peace accords have been signed, when structures of injustice refuse to peel back their hidden troves of violence or when people heroically journey to heal the scars of violation. This book carries us through well-documented and analytically clear categories of how theatre engages conflict, nurtures constructive change, and builds peace…