ABSTRACT
Part II of this book contains two chapters which examine ethical considerations in verbatim theatre processes. This chapter suggests that many ethical guidelines from oral history practice can be adapted or even applied directly to verbatim theatre processes. It explains why there might be value in the impulse by some playwrights to resist ethics in the theatre, since the relative lack of rules and guidelines in their field (compared to oral history) allows for extensive artistic freedom and creativity. However, as verbatim theatre is created from the stories of real people, ethical concerns are considerably higher than in other dramatic forms. Ethics here mainly relate to how the narrators are treated at various stages in the production process and how their words are employed in verbatim scripts.
The author lays out guidelines on how a verbatim theatre playwright can work ethically. These are as follows: identifying the agenda of the playwright and the aims of the production; identifying power dynamics between the theatre makers and the narrators; securing informed consent from narrators; endeavouring to increase the narrators’ level of agency during the theatre-making process; making ethical decisions about the naming of the narrators in the script; and demonstrating sensitivity and respect for narrators in their theatrical representation – particularly those who come from marginalised or vulnerable communities. The practicalities and implications of these steps are outlined in detail, accompanied by some examples of verbatim theatre work relevant to the discussion.
