Bobby Smith – författare

This book is the first definitive publication to consider the intersections of applied theatre and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a series of goals which have shaped development and social justice initiatives from 2015 to 2030.It brings together emerging and leading scholars and practitioners engaged in creative and community contexts globally. In so doing, the book offers critical insights to explore the convergences, complexities, and tensions of working within development frameworks, through theatre. Divided into three thematic areas, it maps out the ways in which applied theatre has related to the SDGs, examines issues with global collaborations, and, as 2030 approaches and the SDG era draws to a close, interrogates such practices, envisioning what the role of applied theatre might be in the post-SDG era. The book provokes reflection about this specific era of applied theatre and global development, as well as discussion regarding what comes next.This volume will be of importance to students, artists, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working in applied theatre and the field of development.

This book is the first definitive publication to consider the intersections of applied theatre and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a series of goals which have shaped development and social justice initiatives from 2015 to 2030.It brings together emerging and leading scholars and practitioners engaged in creative and community contexts globally. In so doing, the book offers critical insights to explore the convergences, complexities, and tensions of working within development frameworks, through theatre. Divided into three thematic areas, it maps out the ways in which applied theatre has related to the SDGs, examines issues with global collaborations, and, as 2030 approaches and the SDG era draws to a close, interrogates such practices, envisioning what the role of applied theatre might be in the post-SDG era. The book provokes reflection about this specific era of applied theatre and global development, as well as discussion regarding what comes next.This volume will be of importance to students, artists, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working in applied theatre and the field of development.

How do theatre and development partnerships operate? What issues impede collaborations between various institutions and individuals? Why do relations between global North and South partners often fail to reflect important values such as equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit?This is the first book to examine theatre and global development partnerships. It focusses on the UK and East African countries of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, presenting the author’s own experiences, case study analyses and perspectives from practitioners and scholars involved in theatre and development. It argues that simplistic binaries pervade partnerships, whereby the global North is regarded as ‘modern’ and ‘developed’ versus the ‘under-developed’ global South. This results in unequal power relations between collaborators, less effective projects with communities, and a lack of reciprocity and mutual benefit. Consequently, this book revitalises how we conceptualise partnerships. Issues such as widening inequalities, conflict, health and the climate crisis impact all countries. How, then, can we work across borders to support interconnected learning and action on these challenges? In this regard, principles of solidarity and mutual responsibility, as well as critical openness, enable us to reflect honestly about the failures of the partnerships we participate in and move beyond simplistic binaries of global North and South. The book is of importance to applied and socially engaged performance scholars and practitioners, and to development workers interested in arts and social change.