Building cultural citizenship through drama: A study of The Community Theatre in Singapore

Presented by: Dr Natalie Lazaroo

Date: Friday 26 March 2021
Time: 12–1pm
Location: Online via Zoom

Link to recording

 


Abstract

Amidst Singapore’s reputation as a ‘shiny, global city’ lies the oft-obscured realities of inequality and poverty that exist in the nation-state. Despite not having an official poverty line, it is estimated that 20 to 35 per cent of Singaporean households live in relative poverty; many of these households live in rental flat communities, which are representative of the social housing sector in Singapore. Residents of such low-socioeconomic neighbourhoods tend to be categorised on the margins of the social power structure and excluded from particular narrative threads of nationhood.  

In this seminar, I share some of the research that has emerged out of a long-term collaboration with a group called The Community Theatre (TCT) in Singapore. TCT was created in 2014 as a ground-up initiative led by artist-facilitator Izzaty Ishak; through drama, TCT engages young people living in rental flats to examine the social issues faced by their communities. In particular, I reflect on how TCT has created a platform for civic participation and how this can help build a sense of cultural citizenship for the young people involved. 


Presenter

 

Dr Natalie Lazaroo is a Lecturer in Drama. Her research interests include cultural citizenship, theatre and young people, and qualitative research methodologies. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (ADSA) and is on the editorial board of the journal Applied Theatre Research. Her most recent publication looks at an intergenerational community performance project examining the relationship between health and inequality in Singapore. 


 

About Research Seminar and Workshop Series

 


School of Communication and Arts Research Seminar Series

The research seminar and workshop series occur each semester, each with a different topic and guest speaker from UQ or otherwise.

Friday, 4 August
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

After the Future: Heat, Collapse, and Exhausting the “Future of Work”

Dr Luke Munn

Friday, 25 August
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

Promoting children’s environmental responsibility in the EFL classroomDr Valentina Adami

Friday, 1 September
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

Write FOR your reader vs. writing WITH your reader: human-centred design in professional communication

and

Portraying Asian-diasporic identity beyond the limits of the literary label Asian-Australian

Catriona Arthy

and

Olivia De Zilva

Friday, 8 September
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

Exploring Digital Humanities through the Lens of Journalism: A Case Study of Reader Comment Analysis

Dr Lujain Shafeeq

Friday, 15 September
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

The Medicalised Body - On Illness, Humour, and Sexuality

and

Talkin about the thing that stops me writing about the thing Im talkin about: Hacking and Hofstadter on the looping effect of diagnostic labels and writing the strange double

Carly-Jay Metcalfe and Bianca Millroy

Friday, 22 September
12-1pm

Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the
SCA Writer's Studio
(Level 6, Michie)

Coping with eco-anxiety: A guided journal trialDr Ans Vercammen and Dr Skye Doherty

 

Venue

Online via zoom