Summary

This paper examined the role of drama in the lives of four women. The researcher concluded that drama can be an avenue of healing and could be an effective means of social work intervention in communities as well as female empowerment. The participants in the study were able to, through the dramatic process; re-write their life’s scripts by resolving paradoxes and conflicts related to the themes unearthed. The research examined the role of drama in the lives of four women living in volatile communities in Jamaica, who were each exposed to violence in multiple forms. Using their own personal and collective experiences, they used drama to raise social consciousness at the community level, about violence and other issues affecting women. A narrative case study approach was employed, grounded in a constructivist paradigm (Schwandt, 1994). This paradigm was coupled with a basic interpretive qualitative method (Merriam, 2002) and the concept of the reflective practitioner (Schön, 1987, 1991) provided the foundation for the analysis. Through individual conversations with the women, themes of abuse, resilience, self-esteem and empowerment arose sharply. The women explored drama and understood it to be instrumental in healing different aspects of their lives. They were able to reclaim their voices which were once silenced by violence, through the immersion of themselves into the various characters. It also provided the opportunity to create a safe space for discussion and expression of “taboo” issues, without fear of retribution or shame.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

women, empowerment, drama, storytelling