Theatre of Good Intentions: Challenges and Hopes for Theatre and Social Change

by Dani Snyder-Young

Theatre of Good Intentions examines limitations of theatre in the creation of social and political change. This book looks at some of the reasons why achieving such goals is hard; examining what theatre can and can't do. It examines a range of applied and political theatre case studies, focusing on theatre's impact on participants and spectators.

171 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some excellent thoughts here; I wish the press run had been larger, as the price will make this inaccessible for a lot of people who really will want to read the book. While I think some of the examples may be stretching things a bit (I'm not convinced that Augusto Boal would think that using Image Theatre in a high school class is an effective way to address and take action against a theme of world poverty, for example), most of the points Snyder-Young raises are pertinent and insightful. Indeed, she brings to print a discussion that has been going on for years--Is theatre the best sort of intervention in every situation? She also touches on, but perhaps does not discuss in detail, the limitations of any sort of one-shot intervention. A very good read, and a very quick read. Ask your research library or local library to purchase a copy!!

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed that this book took a look at some of the issues of Applied Theatre rather than just the idealized results. Some interesting perspectives. Short read.