Harnessing the Power of Online Participatory Theatre: Activist Allyship and Sexual Violence on Canadian Campuses

Abstract

Scholarly discussions about online research techniques have yet to fully consider their value in light of the growing right-wing authoritarianism and attacks on gender equity. This is particularly true for Participatory Action Research methods that rely on embodied action, collective emotional energy, and interaction. This paper examines the use of Participatory Theatre, a Participatory Action Research methodology that employs applied theatre techniques, to critically research the problem of campus sexual violence while building allyship among anti-violence activists to evoke progressive social transformation. Through the lens of a research project on campus sexual violence, and the application of Randall Collins’s theory of interaction rituals, we reflect on the challenges and opportunities of conducting Participatory Theatre studies online. We conclude that interaction ritual can be coupled with the emancipatory aims of Participatory Theatre to produce knowledge of mutual benefit to both researchers and communities by reaffirming our shared power, strengthen, and capacity for collective resistance in this critical time of political and economic turmoil.