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Monday 2 April 2018

Devoted and Disgruntled - discussions on diversity, audiences, accessibility - and nationalism

D&D session at Omnibus Theatre. Photo from D&D Twitter account.

One of the reasons that I stopped working backstage in the theatre is because I found myself constantly questioning the systems that existed, and the people who enforced policies which I considered unjust. I struggled to find an outlet for these thoughts, and met people who either never thought about things like implicit bias, or who just wanted me to stop criticising the system. Keep quiet and carry on. That surely reflects on the particular circles that I found myself in, and not the entire industry. But eventually I returned to academia to study my masters degree, where learning social theory gave me some of the answers I was looking for - and opened me up to even more questions.

What I wish I'd had five years ago is Devoted and Disgruntled, an inclusive platform for discussion and debate run by Improbable theatre company. Last month I attended the session
'What are we going to do about the rise of Nationalism and the hardening of borders?' held at Omnibus Theatre in Clapham Common. D&D use Open Space Technology, a discussion format which fosters attentive and inclusive communication. Participants are encouraged to voice questions, and discussions are led in a non-hierarchical manner. We discussed subjects as broad-ranging as how to avoid tokenism, how to build long-term relationships with diverse audiences, how to listen, recommended podcasts, and differing working environments. Listening was the most important factor of the night.

I am currently in an incredibly privileged position of studying a funded PhD, and so I myself do have the opportunity to discuss such topics at academic conferences and events. But I really cannot express how valuable it was to come together with people from a range of backgrounds, job roles and positions and discuss important subjects in the industry together on an equal footing. This just doesn't happen at work, and I am so grateful that Devoted & Disgruntled are providing this platform at regular, free events.

Click here to read a report on one of the discussions I participated in.

I would really encourage anyone interested and available to attend one of their sessions. The next one is held on 3 April.

https://www.devotedanddisgruntled.com 

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