Workshopping the AIDS play with men : an explorative study of four collaboratively created HIV/AIDS plays, with special focus on the problem of gender, masculinity and cultural memory in creating narrative with men in the workshop theatre process.

Abstract

This dissertation aims to explore problems of gender, masculinity and cultural memory shared by men in the theatre workshop process through looking at the workshop process of four HIV/AIDS plays. The narrative that evolved in the process of creating each play carries an important and current documentation of story and myth that illustrate a unique social understanding of varied but relevant HIV/AIDS issues. In this dissertation the scripts will act as primary text in an exploration of the importance of workshop theatre in documenting the creation of stories and myth in the HIV/AIDS context. The focus of the exploration is on the male participants, with the intention of gaining a greater understanding of contemporary masculine issues in the context of HIV/AIDS.