Sarah Faulkner (QMUL) - 2023-24 Students
s.e.faulkner@qmul.ac.uk

Intergenerational conversations in contemporary performance: conflict, caring and the earth crisis

There are few documented examples of theatre and performance in which intergenerational dialogue is explored as an intersectional practice of relationship building and solidarity. Similarly, there is little published research that investigates the potential for theatre to engage participants and audiences with the earth crisis. This is in spite of a call for performance that raises the environmental consciousness of the public and a growing body of staged work that attempts to do so. Where research exists, it suggests that relational practices of participation, creativity, and care are most likely to provide an effective framework for collective engagement with this contemporary issue. In the context of an increasingly urgent need for social mobilisation to address the causes of global warming and climate change, the challenge faced by artists and researchers interested in this field of practice is two-fold. First, the anxiety associated with connecting with the reality of the earth crisis demands a community of support and care for both artist and participant. Second, the contemporary shift from communities of location to communities of identity mitigates against collective action where identities are positioned in opposition to each other, in the context of a threat that may be perceived and experienced differently.
Addressing this challenge from an intergenerational perspective, I propose an investigation of the potential for contemporary theatre practices to disrupt social narratives of intergenerational conflict to achieve collaborative engagement with the earth crisis. My proposal draws on participative contemporary theatre and community-based theatre practices in the UK, interrogating theoretical frameworks and intersectional artistic strategies to identify effective models for practice. In drawing attention to positive intergenerational dialogue, this research has the potential to make a contribution to future practice and research in theatre, public engagement, and environmental studies.

Primary Supervisor: Professor Jen Harvie

Secondary Supervisor: Professor Lois Weaver