D&D: Theatre VS Poverty Porn - What can we do to make sure our work is helpful to those in crisis, and truthful without being exploitative?

In partnership with The Arts Centre, Hounslow

An Invitation from Terri Ann Creaser, Actor and Director of Tale Be Told Theatre

As a mother of two who is now three years into living in temporary accommodation with my family, I want to see the injustices of the housing system exposed on the stage and the effect that this has on mental health explored through performance... However, in seeing other theatre pieces aiming to do the same, I’ve been left almost traumatised at seeing my life mirrored- at times theatrical pay off has seemed more important than my experience. 

I believe theatre should hold up a mirror to society and act as a wake-up call to audiences, but it feels really important that we do this in a way that respects the very people we aim to reflect in our work. I’m asking myself a lot of questions: Can we create theatre to inspire change whilst serving predominantly middle class audiences in traditional spaces? How do we allow participants to inform the process of creating a piece of theatre that reflects their circumstances? What is the value of these shows to the people in the situations we aim to mirror? How do we engage those we seek to help through these pieces of theatre? Why would they want to see their turmoil reflected on stage? Is my distress at seeing my homelessness on stage worth it for the impact the show has on others?

Perhaps you’ve got other questions, or even some answers. Perhaps you’ve made theatre about poverty, or seen some and felt differently about it to me. Perhaps you’re experiencing poverty yourself and want to tell your story - or feel fed up of being exploited. Whatever your background, come to this event and let’s share some thoughts and take some positive action together. 

This event is fully wheelchair-accessible. Disabled parking is available to book through The Arts Centre Hounslow. Contact [email protected] for more information. BSL interpretation available on request. For this or any other access queries please contact [email protected] or call 020 7240 4556.