Keynote- Drama, diversity and a theatre of possibility

Keynote: Jo Raphael

With Members of Fusion Theatre – Alex Litsoudis, Andrew Robbins, Jean-Marie Cadby, Katrina Welsby and Vicki Dighton

Fusion Theatre is a company involving actors with intellectual disabilities within the City of Greater Dandenong. The drama and theatre experiences offered by Fusion Theatre provide participants with possibilities for creative expression, a sense of belonging, identity and a voice within the community. In 2007 nine members of the company travelled to Hong Kong for IDEA (the International Congress of Drama and Theatre in Education) where they presented a workshop that demonstrated how the company adapts work to needs. Since the experience at IDEA the company has developed and presented Diversity Workshops for teachers and students. The initiative arises in response to a movement throughout Australia towards the inclusion of students with mild to severe disabilities in regular classrooms. This keynote describes how the drama workshops aim to explore issues of disability and inclusive education through applied drama, group work, reflection and analysis. It also reports on some of the findings of an associated research project that investigates how participation in drama workshops led by people with disabilities might enhance pre-service teachers’ understandings about teaching for diversity and in particular, teaching students with special educational needs.

This keynote also references the Drama Australia Equity and Diversity Guidelines for Drama Educators in recognition of a need to affirm commitment to diversity and the notions of equality, equity and access and to support drama teachers to teach for diversity. It considers the challenges and opportunities that drama educators may face and the exciting possibilities that often arise when they create inclusive drama and theatre experiences for young people of all abilities.

Jo Raphael is the founding Artistic Director of Dramability (now part of Fusion Theatre), a community based drama and theatre group that brings together adults with intellectual disabilities and Deakin University students of performing arts and drama education. Her M.Ed. thesis, completed in 2003, was a qualitative case study of this group entitled Theatre of Daylight: Drama, Disability and Empowerment. The research investigated the benefits of drama and theatre for people with disabilities and also revealed benefits arising for the student teachers involved in the group. This research developed Jo’s interest in the ways participants can become collaborators in research and are empowered through the research process. Jo is currently completing a PhD study that has at its centre the Fusion Diversity Workshops in a project that brings together her interests in applied drama, inclusive education and teacher education. Jo is the author of the disability discussion paper and guidelines within the Drama Australia Equity and Diversity Guidelines document. Currently lecturer in Drama Education in undergraduate and post-graduate courses at Deakin University, Jo has previously worked as a drama educator in a range of settings including primary and secondary schools, TAFE colleges, in English language programs and in outreach and community based programs. Jo was a member of the Drama Victoria committee for over ten years is board member of Fusion Theatre and currently holds the position of Director of Projects on the board of Drama Australia.