Search results

This paper aims at exploring the usefulness of street theatre as critical pedagogy in teaching of social studies education. It gives a brief background of street-theatre and its linkages with critical pedagogy. In the light of theoretical underpinnings of this arts-based pedagogy, the paper deliberates upon the relevance and efficacy of street theatre in a social studies classroom. This paper uses a street theatre performance case to look at the techniques such as: body motion, body work, props, use of visual and audio aids, etc.; processes such as: conscientization and catharsis; and dialogical approach employed by street theatre to bring awareness about socio-political and cultural issues prevalent in a society. The analysis of this performance act shows that street theatre successfully encourages spectators or the oppressed masses to reflect, and triggers action in them to come out of socio-political oppression. When looked at from educational perspective, street theatre encourages the employment of multiple-intelligences of both students and teachers; and therefore, it can be one innovative strategy to make students aware of the issues infecting their society and also to empower students for action

This chapter is about quantum storytelling and improvisation and how to use quantum storytelling as an improv theater for social change. Quantum storytelling, in its fore-caring, is about producing an ethics of care where none exists. In the quantum storytelling theater for change, we envision a stage with human and non-human actors (animals, plants, quantum wave/particles) and ways to collapse waves of quantum potentiality into new possibilities for human survival, for posthumanist survival.

We will assert that this happens through improvisation: something called “quantum storytelling with improv.” Our example for this chapter is a theater company we created in Las Cruces, NM, called “Veterans Theater” in which improv is the performance approach. Boje teaches in the belly of the beast (the Business College) at New Mexico State University, a course called “Leadership Is Theater in Society” that uses improv. It is not only about improv but it is also based on Theater of the Oppressed (Boal, 1979, 2002) and Improvisation for the Theater (Spolin, 1983); it also draws from Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Freire, 1970) and Rules for Radicals (Alinsky, 1971), both of which call on improv as a process for social change. Improv is a vital leadership skill in complex polycultural systems, which is the future of business. Leadership theory is dead. Get over it! Or, resurrect it with improv!

The study focuses on the inclusion practices and processes of five large organizations across diverse sectors where women are underrepresented. The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizations facilitate changes in behavior and mindset through formal and informal practices.

In-depth interviews of CEOs, HR team members, and diversity and inclusion leaders in the five organizations were used as data in this study. Coding was done over several rounds via content analysis for the development of themes around how organizations work toward women’s inclusion.

The findings indicate that in their inclusion practices, all five organizations took into consideration societal biases that often render women at a disadvantage. Some of the cultural biases regarding family role expectations and safety-related norms were recognized and incorporated in their practices, while other gender-based stereotypes impeding inclusivity were addressed with zero tolerance of prejudicial behaviors. Organizations achieved this balance through various communicative practices including lateral and informal communication, generalized and particularized conversations, and creation of alternate spaces for dialogue.

By examining women’s inclusivity initiatives of five large organizations working in India, this study helps create an understanding of how organizations can bring about such change, keeping in mind the societal and cultural context, for a more nuanced and achievable inclusion. This study also demonstrates how informal narratives enable deep-rooted organizational change such as inclusion. Such narratives facilitate in enhancing employee’s readiness to change, thereby laying foundations for a sustained impact.

Very few studies that focus on women’s inclusion practices also take into consideration both the demands of the organization as well as the societal expectations placed upon women. This study highlights how organizations try to manage this tension and refrain from “homogenizing” or fitting women into existing practices and routines.

The issues at stake in this paper namely concern the changes in the cultural identity representations of territorial landscapes as a result of increasing mobility of which tourism is but one of the numerous forms. The decision to focus on festivals and events is that: 1. Traditionally speaking, festivals and events are both the result and the signifiers of the cultural identity of spaces within which they occur; 2. In more recent years, they have increasingly been instrumented as a marketing tool in the development of tourist spaces as can be attested by the large body of tourist literature; 3. Beyond the emphasis placed by researchers on the economic impacts of events organization, there has been a growing interest in investigating their social impacts. 4. Limited attention has been paid to comparing the strategies of events organization, the way they intervene on cultural identity and the ensuing impacts on territorial development in general. Accordingly, it was decided that an investigation of regularly recurring events, which have become part of the territorial landscapes within which they occur, would be led to try and answer the following questions: 1. How do festivals and events contribute to staging the particularities of cultural identity within different spaces? 2. Are these festivals and events staged simultaneously to encourage greater mobilities to and within the given spaces and to devise better responses to the mobilities that have already modified them? 3. To what extent do festivals and events contribute to re‐interpreting cultural identity?

Serralves em Festa! is a festival of contemporary artistic expression held annually in the city of Porto attracting a large number of national and international tourists. As there is no entrance fee, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the perceived value through the attendee’s willingness to pay for the event. The authors also describe the respondents (the “cheap talkers”) who indicated that they are willing to pay for a festival but when compared to other groups their opinion is different.

Considering the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of visitors, their segmentation and satisfaction level, a regression model was created, based on combination of a double hurdle approach with a contingent valuation (CV) analysis.

The results show that gender and age above 53 years old are more likely to decide to pay for the event, while place of residence, satisfaction, repeated visits and intention to revisit influence the amount of the event’s payment. The cheap talkers are the respondents residing in Portugal.

Possible options for the implementation of an entrance fee or a system of donations are discussed taking into consideration the segmentation of demand. The authors concluded that an organized system of donations, combined with institutional sponsors, limited advertising (also with negative impacts on the perceived authenticity) and merchandising related to the event could contribute for an increment of the revenues related to the festival. Other implications related to the cultural and economic impacts on the city are also addressed.

It was combined a double hurdle approach with a CV method based on a segmentation of the public, which influences the propensity to pay for the event. This paper makes a contribution to the literature by seeking to deal with the cheap talk problem in CV methods by observing the comparison of the amount of the event’s payment between groups.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the practice of casting celebrity performers in London West End theatres. The paper uses the literature on celebrity to explore the impact that casting a celebrity has on the London theatre audience.

The pervasiveness of celebrity culture forms the background and starting point for this research. In the first phase, theatre managers, directors and producers were interviewed to explore their views on the practice of celebrity casting. In the second phase, an audience survey was conducted. The approach taken is exploratory and is intended to illuminate the conditions under which a successful celebrity-focused strategy can be constructed.

A distinction between fame and celebrity was drawn by both theatre professionals and audiences, with celebrity status being seen as something that is created by media exposure and being in the public eye. This is in contrast to fame, which is earned by being famous for something, or some achievement. Theatre audiences are more likely to be attracted by celebrities who have theatrical expertise and not by someone known simply through film, television or the all-pervasive gossip columns. Celebrities with a background in theatre and film were seen to strongly draw audiences to the theatre, as opposed to those with a background in reality TV shows, search-for-a-star shows or for being half of a famous couple.

The paper is focused on the theatre and makes an original contribution to the current discussion of the power wielded by celebrities. It is the first empirical research on this aspect of the theatre business. Its contribution lies in understanding audience members’ interpretation and understanding of celebrity to ascertain the extent to which they perceive celebrities as credible to perform theatre. This is based on a differentiation between their mediated fame and expertise. It is helpful and useful information for producers when deciding whether or not to cast a celebrity and to which audiences that the celebrity might appeal.