Behind the Shadows: Light

<< Background >>The partnership was formed between two (queer-)feminist community theatre organisations which identified the need to address gender-based violence (GBV) in adult arts education with a focus on a trauma-aware approach of sex-positivity, community care and self-love. GBV is a topic, which is often characterized as taboo. Therefore, we felt the need for creative, nourishing and healing ways for an open dialogue about it. Shadow Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) were identified as methodologies that, combined, have great potential to serve our queer and marginalized learning communities’ needs (who are often survivors) to open up on and address this sensitive topic. The project equipped our arts educators with tools to foster community dialogue on the issue and inspired them to create new methodologies together. Our organisations could embody their feminist working values and form a lasting transnational European partnership and a team of adult educators. By designing and disseminating a high-quality methodology, professionalisation processes and professional networks were fostered. We gained a European perspective on GBV and added a queer perspective to the discussion, which is often neglected by the wider public.<< Objectives >>Our main objectives were method development and capacity building for arts educators and political educators (specifically: feminist adult educators and theatre pedagogues) around issues of gender-based violence (GBV) by 1) combining Shadow Theatre and Forum Theatre as a methodology for creating safer and braver spaces for dialogue and 2) including a trauma-aware approach of sex-positivity in adult education around GBV to create healthier relationships. We aimed to summarize the learnings in a cutting-edge manual. Capacity development among project partners’ staff should guarantee the new methodologie’s and manual’s sustainable promotion. Going beyond the original objectives, we aimed to queer the understanding of GBV. Going beyond violence of cis-men towards cis-women and also addressing violence from the mainstream against queer people and within queer communities. This emerged through honest and healthy dialogue about GBV and our work within marginalized queer communities. With the new methodologies we wanted to foster participatory citizen engagement (we explicitly include all people living within a territory, with and without legal citizenship) around the sensitive topic of GBV using creative and artistic tools for dialogue.<< Implementation >>We began in-person LTTAs with an experimental „Method Development“ in which the project content team and an external expert met to design methodologies regarding our objectives in Ostia (Affabulazione’s seat) in January (including planning outreach and dissemination using Business Canvas Model). Immediately afterwards these were tested with a group of queer and marginalized GBV survivors and allies from both partner organizations („Shadow Theatre Training“). The activity served staff development and illustration purposes for the manual. In February, the project content team met in Vienna to conceptualize and write a manual about the developed methodology („Manual Development“). In spring, they finalized this result with the graphic designer and layouter. Beginning in May „Multiplication Events“ were carried out, online with our European professional networks, and locally with our respective learners and civil society initiatives working on GBV. Our project staff started using the new methodologies in their workshop praxis. With „Project Management“ we ensured the sound management of the project, which consisted e.g. of shifting activities/budget, communication with the NA, establishing partnership agreement or the interim report.<< Results >>We published a cutting-edge manual on a new methodology designed during the project (combining Shadow Theatre and Forum Theatre on the topic of GBV from a trauma-aware and sex-positive education perspective) which includes an explanatory video. We built capacity among our project staff to guarantee its further use. Project management capacity (esp. in Erasmus+) was strengthened as well. In multiplication activities, we laid the base for further multiplication and workshop opportunities locally and within our expanded European network. The marginalized learners participating in our training formed a small community and continue using the methodology (e.g women*‘s day in Austria, Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st, in Italy). We got feedback from various actors in queer communities and beyond, staff and learners alike, that our manual has been an incredibly empowering resource to them. The project team is currently planning new projects together using the methodology and has already submitted proposals. Stakeholders in both Italy and Austria, including local councillors and networks for ending partner violence have attended performances or taken impulses to queer their understanding of GBV through our project.