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Author Bio

Dr. Susie Miles is professor emerita in the Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester, UK. Her scholarship has explored pioneering inclusive practices in education in the least well-resourced countries in the world, as well as the potential of photovoice to enable diverse and marginalized voices to be heard. She co-led the Being a Leader Course for post-graduate researchers, academics and other staff members at the University of Manchester, 2021-2025.

Helen Scott-Danter is a drama therapist, shiatsu practitioner and leader of retreats on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. She worked as a drama teacher in a multi-racial school in South Africa in the 1980s, and as an actor, including in “Theatre in Education,” and in “Theatre in Development.” She has used participatory theatre techniques to train theatre companies in Mozambique, including the Theatre for the Deaf (“Os Falados”). On the Isle of Skye, Helen led a pilot project that focused on using arts and creativity, funded by the Mental Health Foundation, and directed a Theatre Company made up of adults with learning disabilities, who dramatized their stories.

Keywords

authenticity; vulnerability; presence; encounter; lived experience

Abstract

Authentic autobiographical performance has the potential to open up possibilities for audience members to see their lives in new ways and take actions that make a difference in the world. This article describes the development of a 45-minute autobiographical performance from its initial creation in 2017 through its evolutionary journey to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, and beyond. The creative process is presented from the perspective of both the performer and the director-coach, and brings together the worlds of education and theatre. The authors ask themselves: what does it mean to share their lived experiences authentically? They conclude that the act of creating an authentic performance can be transformational for the performer, and that creating distance between the audience and the performance provides audience members with an opportunity to take a fresh look at their own lives.

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