Applied Drama Through Narratives

This study attempts to explore the use of narrative in various Applied Drama contexts. In the arguments of this study, the word narrative stands for personal stories from the participants own lives or fictitious stories from oral traditions of cultures and communities. The three main contexts where the narrative intervention is investigated are therapy, community and performance. There are four chapters through which certain characteristics of stories and storytelling are discussed in relation to the role they play in Applied Drama. The initial attempt of the study is to look at the relationship between narrative and Applied Drama with a brief investigation into origins of drama and narratives. The second chapter focuses on narrative intervention in therapeutic process. The third chapter explores how narratives aid an Applied Drama practise in building the sense of community within the target groups and participants. By ending up with discussing how performance elements are shaped by narratives, the study answers the question: "how does narrative contribute to community building, therapy and performance in Applied Drama practices?"