Dialogue across difference

Communities around the world are fractured; nationalism and tribalism of all kinds are on the rise.

The fallout from Brexit is the UK’s most prominent manifestation, but this is a global phenomenon.

Meanwhile our theatre is driven by a marketing-led approach - mesmerised by the notion of “target audiences”:

• the young, the old, the middle-aged; 
• the affluent, the poor, the squeezed middle; 
• the hip, the unhip; 
• disabled, non-disabled, the "well", the "ill";
• women, men, LGBTQ+; 
• conservative, liberal, rural, urban … 

In our public spaces, culture is almost entirely defined by exclusivity: 

• sporting events are mostly gendered (in favour of the male); 
• religious communities, despite interfaith initiatives, remain separate from each other; 
• music events are boundaried by genres that generally centre on notions of gender, race, class and age. 

• ticket prices are too high for many;
• transport is inadequate;
• buildings and public spaces are inaccessible in many ways (not least to those with mobility and sensory impairments);
• staff make you feel uncomfortable;
• explicit and implicit dress codes seem arbitrary and exclusive;
• merchandising and catering feels like a rip-off.
• etc (fill in your own barriers here...)

Imagine a growth in theatre that brings different people together - addressing the issues of the day, but in a way that foregrounds the universals and celebrates differences.

This should not be reduced to a marketing challenge, nor is it a call for a lowest common denominator populist theatre.

It is, however, an acknowledgment that our theatre can be non-elitist and popular. 

The challenge is for theatre artists and producers to create thoughtful and uplifting theatre that can have a broad appeal and bring together disparate people - those who would never normally inhabit the same space - into a theatre space, creating a powerful, albeit temporary, sense of community.

There's a lot of great performance of different kinds across the UK and worldwide where culture is being used to create a Dialogue-Across-Difference: 

• intergenerational work
• storytelling
• co-creation between professional artists and communities
• relaxed performance
• hip-hop theatre
• fill in your own example here ...