ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The part provides a model of how a cognitive understanding of theatrical expertise can support valuable interventions in social welfare. It describes a valuable intervention in a vulnerable population. The part describes the concept of 'consilience' – the 'jumping together' of phenomena. It identifies the cognitive phenomena that underlie performance in political contexts that directly embody and practice versions of authority and solidarity, and also in stage performances that comment on the exercise of governmental power. It focuses on an interdisciplinary collaboration between the fields of theatre and psychology to benefit children on the autism spectrum. This project originated in the field of applied and socially engaged theatre, terms that refer to theatre practices that are applied in social, educational and community contexts with a therapeutic or educational purpose.