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Empathy and Listening in Research-Based Theatre Cook, Christina; Belliveau, George, 1968-; Bokenfohr, Luke

Abstract

This article shares excerpts from the playscript Unload, which brings to life research on military veterans and the lived experience of civilians carrying trauma. Co-developed by veterans, artists, researchers, and counsellors, the play follows a veteran’s journey to overcome challenges in and out of uniform and sees him guide a civilian friend through unspoken grief that has been haunting him for decades. This research-based play artistically synthesizes extensive data collected from focus groups, interviews, and surveys conducted with veterans, artists, counsellors, and audiences involved in a five-year research project. This article begins by situating the research-based play within the literature on theatre and empathy. Then, alongside excerpts from the playscript, the authors, who were co-writers of the script and members of the cast, offer insights gleaned from the performance of Unload.

Item Metadata

Title
Empathy and Listening in Research-Based Theatre
Creator
Cook, Christina; Belliveau, George, 1968-; Bokenfohr, Luke
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2024-09-19
Description
This article shares excerpts from the playscript Unload, which brings to life research on military veterans and the lived experience of civilians carrying trauma. Co-developed by veterans, artists, researchers, and counsellors, the play follows a veteran’s journey to overcome challenges in and out of uniform and sees him guide a civilian friend through unspoken grief that has been haunting him for decades. This research-based play artistically synthesizes extensive data collected from focus groups, interviews, and surveys conducted with veterans, artists, counsellors, and audiences involved in a five-year research project. This article begins by situating the research-based play within the literature on theatre and empathy. Then, alongside excerpts from the playscript, the authors, who were co-writers of the script and members of the cast, offer insights gleaned from the performance of Unload.
Subject
research-based theatre; empathy; listening; trauma; therapy
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2024-10-25
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0447137
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89535
Affiliation
Education, Faculty of; Non UBC; Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Citation
Arts 13 (5): 140 (2024)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/arts13050140
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Other
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Rights

CC BY 4.0