SO TRUTHFUL, DIRECT, REAL! Audience Response to Justice-Involved Youth

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Wellbeing, Equity, and Justice: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching and Research in the Arts

Abstract

When conducting qualitative research in performing and visual arts, what is appropriate to share when working with vulnerable populations?
This article examines the audience response to an original theater piece, How Did I Get Here (HDIGH), created by formerly justice-involved youth in New York City. Performers reflected on their educational experiences before entering the juvenile justice system, using stories, monologues, and scenework based on their experiences. An audience of over 200 participated in a post-performance dialogue and completed a survey about their experience. Results indicated the work raised important questions for the audience, provided insight into systemic issues, and was healing for members of the community who had also experienced contact with carceral systems, as well as the performers themselves.

Author

• Kelly Lynn Brady, CUNY - Graduate Center