Taking It to the Streets: Participatory Action Research Through Participatory Theatrical Dissemination

Mirror Theatre (MT) is a not-for-profit theatre company that has been devising participatory theatre around social issues since the early 1990s. In this chapter, we propose that because of participants’ active involvement in discussion and dramatic portrayals, MT offers an example of Playbuilding as Participatory Action Research. This article provides (a) a theoretical discussion linking playbuilding to PAR, (b) examples of current MT projects, and (c) supporting data from participants, including a rationale for an expanded definition of PAR. URLs of performances are provided and viewing is recommended in order to obtain a thick description of the performance phase in action.