Applied Theatre and the Sustainable Development Goals: Crises, Collaboration, and Beyond

This book is the first definitive publication to consider the intersections of applied theatre and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a series of goals which have shaped development and social justice initiatives from 2015 to 2030.

It brings together emerging and leading scholars and practitioners engaged in creative and community contexts globally. In so doing, the book offers critical insights to explore the convergences, complexities, and tensions of working within development frameworks, through theatre. Divided into three thematic areas, it maps out the ways in which applied theatre has related to the SDGs, examines issues with global collaborations, and, as 2030 approaches and the SDG era draws to a close, interrogates such practices, envisioning what the role of applied theatre might be in the post-SDG era. The book provokes reflection about this specific era of applied theatre and global development, as well as discussion regarding what comes next.

This volume will be of importance to students, artists, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working in applied theatre and the field of development.

Taiwo Afolabi is the Canada Research Chair in Socially Engaged Theatre, the director of the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre, and an associate professor at the University of Regina, Canada.

Dr Abdul Karim Hakib is a lecturer at the University of Ghana. His research focuses on Historicizing Theatre for Development (TfD).

Bobby Smith is an associate professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Warwick, UK.