Testimonial by Shelley Green about "Applied Theatre for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion"

This blog post was written by Shelley Green, a participant in the inaugural session of Applied Theatre for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion with Aanchal Jain and Lucy Ferguson. Sign up for the next session of the course here.

In October 2023 I had the opportunity of participating in the fascinating Applied Theatre For Gender Equality and Social Inclusion course, expertly facilitated by the inspiring Lucy Ferguson, PhD and Aanchal Jain.

The participatory, experiential nature of the Applied Theatre techniques help to unpack issues and enable us to see them from multiple perspectives, which can bring about powerful insights, reflections and interventions in a way that formal training doesn’t achieve. It’s a powerful journey of discovery. As Lucy Ferguson said "Tick the box exercises don’t bring about transformation" and I couldn't agree more. Unlike the ‘tick the box’ exercises, Applied Theatre is a tool for transformative change.

During the course I also met other incredible, highly experienced practitioners from around the globe. I am still processing everything we covered. There were so many light bulb moments and insights on both a personal and a professional level. Sincere thanks to everyone involved for making it a memorable, meaningful and transformational experience.

Check out the Cynara Gender Training Platform for this and other great courses to enhance your personal and professional development.

~Shelley Green