ABSTRACT

Because role play has the potential to mirror ‘real life’ so precisely, participants can identify strongly with the roles they adopt. This sometimes leads to the triggering of strong emotions that can be hard for both the participant and facilitator to deal with during a training/teaching session. Most facilitators do not see their role as being that of a therapist, and this can be a deterrent to using role play techniques.

This chapter will argue that the emphasis on identification in role play, and the need for the technique to mirror workplace contexts or real life situations, has devalued this approach to learning. It is therefore necessary to examine the potential of representational techniques and the use of symbolic form to help distance participants from the role play situation, so they can reflect more critically on their experience.

I will explore some of the uses of representation in theatre and drama-in-education in order to see whether their techniques can inform and further develop role play theory and practice.