The promise and pain of devising as deliberative democracy: Out Of Character Theatre Company's Fresh Visions trilogy. Issue 3 (3rd July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Heinemeyer, Catherine; Birch, Paul; Rowe, Nick
• Is Part Of: Research in drama education. Volume 27:Issue 3(2022)
• Page Start: 286
• Page End: 303
• Publication Date: 2022-07-03
• Subjects: Deliberative democracy -- dialogic artmaking -- devising -- mental health -- Out Of Character Theatre Company; Drama in education -- Periodicals; Drama -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 792.071
• DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2022.2052832
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1356-9783

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Out Of Character Theatre Company's Fresh Visions project pursued an innovative theatre-based research methodology which enabled sustained, in-depth, polyphonic and dialogic engagement around the future shape of local mental health services. Since our previous research (Heinemeyer, Catherine and Nick Rowe. 2019. 'Being Known, Branching Out: Troupes, Teams and Recovery.' Mental Health Review Journal 24(3): 212-227) indicated that theatre devising can act as 'intuitive democracy', we ask whether Fresh Visions constituted a deliberative democracy exercise. We explore both the 'promise' of theatre-led approaches to overcome power imbalances and embrace dissent in deliberative processes, and their attendant 'pain' and limitations.