TM160 Proposal Template

Name: Iona Copeland Matriculation Number: 21005209

Type of Project: Practice Based Project
Working Title: How does drama workshops benefit people within complex contexts.
An outline of the problem, issue or opportunity that this project is addressing (250 words):

Drama has the power to assist a range of people to help deal with the conflict within their lives.
This has been shown through ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ (1979) by Augusto Boal where he used
theatre to empower deprived and disadvantaged communities. Since this many artists have been
inspired to explore the possibilities that drama can offer and show how learning from this can be
an advantage.

I wish to explore individuals in ‘complex contexts’ such as refugees, criminals, those in

rehabilitation and in a housing crisis such as shelters. I wish to help these people deal with the
conflict they are dealing with personally, but also help reinforce their identity and develop
resilience. This project will help those involved have a sense of humanity and hopefully enable
them to change and explore their own and others behaviour and beliefs. This is where I would
use ‘Applied Drama’ as my workshops ‘have a job to do’ as it hopes to change people. It is also a
useful method for social inclusion which provides an anti-discriminative and humanistic learning
atmosphere. This project would also explore the concept of resilience and devise an intervention
that aims to empower, give voice, find solutions, and support social action. Working with groups
of people like this helps them develop new transferable skills but also helps to rehabilitate and
reform them and could provide them with a second chance in their lives.

Details of why you want to do this project (200 words):

I have stated above that I plan to explore this project with individuals in ‘complex contexts’ such
as refugees, criminals, those in rehabilitation and in a housing crisis such as shelters. I will be
using my time from January to May to fine tune this further to define what group I will work closely
with following deeper research into what is available to these groups and with what group my
passion lies with the most.

My passion on this topic started within my undergraduate course, as my dissertation investigated

the: “Enactments of Jewish Culture in Performance of Jewish and German Practitioners 1933-
1945, including Clandestine Performances in Ghettoes and Concentration Camps.” This was the
initial point when I discovered where my passion sits within the arts and within drama. I loved
looking into how drama was used as a tool for survival and how drama can be offered to those in
need and in hard situations. I find it interesting to investigate how drama can help different people
within numerous difficult contexts. I would like to expand my knowledge within this sector as not
only do I enjoy and find it interesting, but I wish that after my master’s course I can develop this
knowledge and subsequent dissertation into my own company which would aim to help
vulnerable people in these circumstances. Due to this being a practise-based dissertation I am
excited to plan and carry out the workshops with some guidance to see if this is what I would
want to pursue, and the evaluation will highlight if this would work long term for me. I have such a
passion for this project, and I am excited to see where further research will lead me.

Initial Research Question and concept; Or, concept to address within your Business Document;
Or, description of Project you will undertake (100 words):

How does drama workshops benefit people within complex contexts.

How does intro drama have an impact within the context of crime.

I will be working closely with a group that experiences complex situations, whether this is a prison
setting, rehabilitation or refugee camps. I will be offering drama sessions that are tailored to the
chosen group. I will be using drama as the main focus to help gain happiness structure and ‘a
new life’ for the participants. I am hoping whatever I create has legacy to carry on out with this
project.

Suggested Methodology/Method and/or details of primary research you will conduct: (200 words):

The primary research I will be carrying out will need to be extensive as currently my knowledge
on this sector is very little. This will be undertaken between January and May.

My methodology will be an applied theatre approach situated between a critical and constructive
position following into inequality. As I will be carrying out a practice-based project, I will be taking
a performer and drama in education approach which will be carried out through the whole project.
Certain relationships will be formed due to the vulnerable situation the participants are in,
therefore I will have a duty of care to make them feel comfortable with what we will explore. The
data that I will gather from this project will be logged daily during and after each session by notes
and logbooks which will help make it easier during the process of the write up of my dissertation. I
will look into questionnaires and interviews with the participants after the sessions have ended
but also involve an artist already in this field to help analyse the information and create my
portfolio. Ethics forms will be carried out before I start any of this project to make sure the
university approves the data gathering and write up procedures that I wish to carry out. Ethics
and consent forms will be handed to all participants due to them being a vulnerable group and to
those I am interviewing to see how much of their responses and research within my studies.

What are the resources, contacts or funds you require to successfully complete your dissertation,
and how do you plan to access them: (200 words):
As my question is not quite defined yet, I will be required to research more into these topics. I
have contacts such as Craigmillar which works with rehabilitation; Irvine Allan who had pointed
me in the direction of starting drama workshops within an Edinburgh prison; and Rebeca Boden
who is the creator and director of ‘Unlock Drama’ which works within prisoners who have been
recently released from prison on the path for rehabilitation. Further contacts will be Ioni, a
graduate of QMU last year, who is currently working with drama within prisons and also reaching
out to already formed refugee groups to see if this would be of advantage to them. I will also be
carrying out further research online to see the best possible workshops for my chosen group
using practitioners such as Keith Johnson from an education lens. Funds to carry this project out
at the moment is unknown due to the group not being chosen yet. With whichever group I decide
on, I believe I will not require a lot of funding to cover the cost of materials used.

Present a draft timetable/schedule to completion? (50 words)

January- May
Research in detail and decide on the group I would like to research.
Find connections and then decide where I will be carrying out the case study.
Have ethics forms complete and ready to be sent as soon as its open.

8th May- 22nd May

Carry out the case study.
Every day 4 hours a day (if possible).

27th May- 10th June

Collect all data for case study.

Create case study (portfolio of evidence) with pictures and analysis:

Includes how I started the projects

How I got participants
Outline of each workshop's day by day and what this showed
Work on appendices as the procedure occurs

12th June- 17th July

Start writing critical essay:

Introduction into case study

Methodologies used
2000 words of critical essay

17th July- 6th August

3000 (conclusion) words of critical essay

Final check with supervisor as of 4 weeks before submission

6th August- 26th August

Spell check
References
Final checks
Make sure I am happy with it

An indicative Reading List: (Approx 7 - 14 articles, books etc)

Anderson, M. (2015) How drama activates learning: Contemporary research and practice. London:
Bloomsbury Academic.

Gauthier, M.-F. et al. (2005) ‘Playing with identities and transforming shared realities: Drama therapy
workshops for adolescent immigrants and refugees’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 32(1), pp. 13–27.
doi:10.1016/j.aip.2004.12.002.

Hogan, C.F. (2010) Practical facilitation: A toolkit of techniques. London: Kogan Page.

Jennings, S. (2009) Dramatherapy and Social Theatre: Necessary dialogues. London: Routledge.

la Cour, K., Ledderer, L. and Hansen, H.P. (2016) ‘Storytelling as part of cancer rehabilitation to support
cancer patients and their relatives’, Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 34(6), pp. 460–476.
doi:10.1080/07347332.2016.1217964.

Muñoz-Bellerín, M. and Cordero-Ramos, N. (2020) ‘The role of Applied Theatre in Social Work: Creative
interventions with homeless individuals’, The British Journal of Social Work, 50(5), pp. 1611–1629.
doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcaa033.

Ryan, P.R. (1976) ‘Theatre as prison therapy’, The Drama Review, 20(1), pp. 31–42. doi:10.2307/1145035.

SKEIKER, F. (2022) Syrian refugees, Applied Theater, workshop facilitation, and stories: While they were
waiting. S.l.: ROUTLEDGE.

Smith, A. (2013) The possibilities and limitations of using drama to facilitate a sense of belonging for
adult refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in East London, The Possibilities andLimitations of
UsingDrama to Facilitate aSense of Belonging forAdult Refugees, AsylumSeekers and Migrants
inEast London. thesis. Queen Mary University of London. Available at:
https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/8784/Smith_Anna%20161213.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y (Accessed: 16 January 2024).
‘Performing to understand: cultural wealth, precarity, and shelter-dwelling youth’ (2020) in Precariousness
and the performances of Welfare. S.l.: ROUTLEDGE.