Participatory activities with communities: the application of theatrical techniques in the experience and interpretation of cultural heritage

This thesis deals with a community of third aged women during a participatory action of co-creation, which through drama techniques used frequently by the museum theatre, leads to the formation of a theatre performance about the Alatza Imaret monument. Particularly, this thesis studies the total experience of the community and its characteristics, the learning and social outcomes, the relationship between the community and the monument and the way the community interprets the cultural heritage. This is a qualitative study and more specifically a case study which collects its data through observation and semi-structured interviews and analyses them based on the thematic analysis method. The whole study is based on theoretical approaches and examples of museum programs related to the concept of the Participatory Museum, the social role of the museums and the engagement of different communities as well as the museum theatre as a useful interpretative tool in the environment of contemporary museums. The outcomes of the study confirm outcomes of related studies in the field and showcase the value of similar actions through the benefits towards the community and the person. 

Key Words: participatory museum, community and museum, museum education, museum theatre 

http://ikee.lib.auth.gr/record/320914/files/GRI-2020-28398.pdf