Storytelling through theatre is a powerful way to reach others.​

New Book Alert!

Interview with Dr. Gallagher

A space of ‘survivable failure’:

Read an interview with Dr. Kathleen Gallagher on her new book

Latest News

Happy International Theatre Day!

This International Theatre Day (March 27), Dr. Kathleen Gallagher reflects on her life and research in theatre in a new blog post.

Hope in a Collapsing World: A Conversation with Dr. Kathleen Gallagher & Andrew Kushnir

Dr. Kathleen Gallagher and Andrew Kushnir join Dr. Michael Anderson from the CREATE Centre at the University of Sydney to discuss the hybrid format of ethnographic study and playwriting as a means of mobilizing theatre to build ways of working with young people in the language of performance as they seek to communicate their worries, fears, and dreams to a global network of researchers and a wider public.
QSECover

Arts-led, youth-driven methodology and social impact: “making what we need” in times of crisis

In this article, Dr. Kathleen Gallagher, with Christine Balt, Nancy Cardwell & Lindsay Valve, consider the social role of collaborative ethnographic research amid our current intersecting social, political and ecological crises. A “metho-pedagogical” framework is mobilized to consider how drama is put to work at a time of climate emergency and pandemic.
review of edu

Census-taking and theater-making: Real and imagined perceptions and experiences of school and neighborhood safety for racialized and white youth

In this article, Dr. Kathleen Gallagher, with Dr. Dirk Rodricks & Lindsay Valve engage the discovery of a significant divergence between feelings of safety and belonging reported in a safety survey, and the discursive, contradictory, and complex narratives about safety revealed by students’ storytelling to open a line of inquiry about what the pursuit of being a ‘safe school’ is meant to do, and what it does.

Meet Us

We are a research ensemble of diverse collaborators committed to exploring the power of drama to create social change.

In Conversation With

New Book from theatre-makers Andrew Kushnir &  Khari Wendell McClelland

Moving the Centre explores the work of two theatre-makers who simultaneously dare, fumble, and persist in bringing audiences into a space where complicity, authority, and authentic listening are met anew. The two plays it includes — Small Axe and Freedom Singer — lean into the possibilities of verbatim theatre to approach questions of justice, identity and the complex history all around us. Originally developed and produced by Toronto’s socially engaged theatre company Project: Humanity, these plays explore the power of recorded “real-life” encounters as a way for artists and the public to re-examine our defining narratives.

Why is Canadian theatre so Russian right now?

Andrew Kushnir's new article is an invitation to consider the near-absence of Ukrainian stories on Canadian stages in the year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

Rethinking Democracy And Citizenship

What does it mean to be democratic? What’s the difference between being a citizen in a democracy and a subject in an empire? Dr. Urvashi Sahni answered these pressing questions and more in her inspiring and truly engaging TEDtalk.

Creators for Change Documentary Wins Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special

Dr. Urvashi Sahni and Study Hall Education Foundation (SHEF) are featured in Michelle Obama's "Creators for Change" Documentary showcasing how education can transform girls’ lives and create a ripple effect for communities.

Screen shot of an online conversation between Andrew Kushnir, Zorana Sadiq and Matthew Sheahan

CODE Conversations

See here the launch of CODE Conversations with Matthew Sheahan, secondary teacher from Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and President of the Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators interviewing Andrew Kushnir and Zorana Sadiq on their experiences with the Radical Hope research, the Towards Youth production, and their poignant thoughts on why Verbatim theatre is an especially important aesthetic with young people in these times.

Project: Humanity supporting youth & artists through COVID-19

P:H's COVID-19 Artist Partnership Program (CAPP). provides essential support to youth in shelters by pairing participants with artists for weekly 1:1 online mentorship sessions in a discipline of their choosing. ​

Tiny Tuna Big Bee: motivating climate action through music

Introducing our friends Bebe, Oona and Tutu of homegrown Toronto band ‘Tiny Tuna Big Bee’, all 12 years old and writing music as a call to action about climate change.

Artists for Real Climate Action ​

Artists for Real Climate Action is a non-partisan, ever-growing collection of actors, filmmakers, writers, musicians, playwrights, graphic designers, directors, and digital marketing folks all sounding the alarm over our climate crisis