Narratives of home: Exploring the practice of space in socially engaged theatre as a means of resisting

2018年7月，在当地居民的长期强烈反对下，南华克理事会投票赞成拆除大象城堡购物中心。这一决定威胁到了现有的130家零售商，以及伦敦最大的拉丁美洲社区。计划中的重建项目最初只包括900多处“负担得起”的房产中的33处，尽管通过当地的宣传活动，这一数字已上升到116处。尽管最近反对拆除克里斯普街市场的胜利，以及焦点E15运动的成功，使一些居民有权留在纽汉的木匠庄园，但伦敦的中产阶级化故事是无情的，正在进行中，这一轨迹在很大程度上要归功于政府对理事会屋及其居民的妖魔化，以及媒体通过“失败叙事”对他们的描绘，[Beswick，2019]。我的研究探讨如何通过戏剧和社区内的性能探索家庭的叙事，可以通过加强社区身份，并把这些关键机构发挥创造战略性的社会变革。通过在不同社区的一系列实践研究项目，以及纵向研究，我将记录促进理事会房地产和社区的绅士化和位移的战略要素，以及居民实践这些空间的方式，为了记录社会住房的使用和恢复力的最新证据。其结果将是发展一个社会变革的戏剧模式其目的是从战略上努力抵制助长流离失所现象的行为;并通过编写一份关于这一问题的政策文件，为今后的工作提出建议。

In July 2018, amid long-standing and fierce opposition from local residents, Southwark Council voted in favour of demolishing the Elephant & Castle shopping centre. The decision threatens some 130 existing retailers, and the biggest Latin American community in London. The planned redevelopment originally included only 33 'affordable' properties out of over 900, although this has been raised to 116 through local campaigning.Despite recent victories against the demolishing of Chrisp Street Market, and the success of the Focus E15 campaign which gave some residents the right to stay on the Carpenters Estate in Newham, the story of gentrification in London is relentless and ongoing, and inexorably contributes to destruction of council estates and the displacement of residents of social housing.This trajectory owes a debt in no small part to both the demonisation of council estates and their residents through government, and the portrayal of them in the media through a 'failure narrative', [Beswick, 2019]. My research investigates how exploring narratives of home through theatre and performance within communities, can create strategic social change by strengthening community identities and putting these into play with key agencies. Through a series of practice research projects in different communities, and a longitudinal research study, I will document both the strategic elements that facilitate the gentrification and displacement of council estates and communities, and the way in which these spaces are practiced by residents, in order to record alasting testimony to the use and resilience of social housing.The outcome will be to develop a model of theatre for social change that aims to work strategically to resist the facilitation of displacement; and through creating a policy paper on the subject, aim to offer recommendations for the future borne out of this work.