Applied Theatre with Youth: Education, Engagement, Activism ed. by by Lisa S. Brenner, Chris Ceraso, and Evelyn Diaz Cruz, and: Applied Theatre: A Pedagogy of Utopia by Selina Busby (review)

• Published in: Theatre topics 2022-11, Vol.32 (3), p.156-157
• Main Author: Knipp, Cortney McEniry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activism; Anthologies; Artists; Authors; Case Studies; Collaboration; Community Relations; Critical Theory; Editing; Essays; Ethics; Intention; Organizational Change; Praxis; Public Schools; Reflection; Social Justice; Teaching Methods; Theater; Undergraduate Students; Young Adults; Youth
• ISSN: 1054-8378; 1086-3346; 1086-3346
• DOI: 10.1353/tt.2022.0030

Applied Theatre: A Pedagogy of Utopia is a retrospective on her work thus far, put into conversation with current social justice and applied theatre theory in order to articulate the key principles that have defined her practice and growth. Busby also quickly introduces nearly every current challenge in applied theatre practice, including the ethics of securing funding, a lack of long-term research studies, debates over the purpose of applied theatre, and ongoing questions over how to measure its impact. [...]part 9 aptly concludes the anthology with an exploration of projects that engage and equip young people to take action in their communities. Both texts help us to think differently about what applied theatre scholarship might be: in Applied Theatre for Youth, the editors co-create a bold structure that might be a model for other academic publications; whereas in A Pedagogy of Utopia, Busby makes an enthralling decision to avoid casting the author as expert.