Theatre Studies: Our research partnerships
Risky Business
Assoc Prof Angela O'Brien, with Dr Kate Donelan, Ms Kiersten Coulter and Dr Kruno Martinac
Visit the Risky Business website for more details of this project
Risky Business is an Australian Research Council Linkage Project - a collaborative research effort across academic disciplines and policy portfolios including:
- Theatre Studies
- Department of Criminology
- Language and Literacy Education/Artistic and Creative Education at The University of Melbourne
- key industry stakeholders in juvenile justice and the arts.
Risky Business is a longitudinal study to identify effective diversionary programs for young people experiencing some difficulties in their lives and to analyse the potential impact of the creative arts to assist them and to reconnect them with their community. Over the period of the program up to ten individual arts-based projects are running in four broad geographical areas - Footscray, Dandenong, Parkville and Bendigo. Each of the programs runs for about twelve weeks and operate out of a resource centre for young people aged 16-22.
Young people participating in the programs effectively become artists-in-training with each project offering the opportunity to learn, practice and experience a range of arts-based skills in the performing arts, the visual arts, multi-media, puppetry, writing, music and drama. Many of the projects culminate in a professionally produced public performance, exhibition or reading.
Professional artists, in some cases established performing arts companies, run the workshops and act as mentors for their clients. A team of researchers explore the young people's experiences and perceptions of the programs, identifying the characteristics and processes of the programs which have the most significant impact and investigating the ways in which involvement in the different art forms affect personal and skills developments, self-esteem and social integration.
Although there is generally national and international agreement in the potential for arts-based programs to meet the young person's need for fun, risk and excitement while developing links to their communities, there is little rigorous research into the process or the outcomes of the use of such programs. This is a unique program that will inform the development of policy and programming for marginalised young people. It will provide a detailed and close analysis of the content and process of art programs designed for young people across a range of art forms and communities. Risky Business aims to provide justice and social agencies with a model for effective youth program planning that will facilitate re-education and work opportunities.
Transformative arts education partnerships: A creative approach to whole school renewal
Assoc Prof Angela O'Brien, with Dr Kate Donelan (Arts Education), and Dave Kelman (PhD candidate, University of Melbourne).
Partner investigators: Michael O'Brien (Principal, Debney Secondary College) and Dave Everist (SCRAYP Youth Arts with an Edge)
This project investigates a school transformation and curriculum initiative through an arts partnership between a culturally diverse inner city secondary school, a community performing arts company and arts education researchers. The project explores how the arts can offer multiple and alternative routes to academic achievement and personal well-being for disempowered and disenfranchised teenagers at school. An adjunct to individual empowerment is community strengthening through enhanced citizenship and community connectedness. The study focuses on a single complex ethnically diverse research site and offers the opportunity for innovative research collaboration between students, teachers, academic researchers and the community.