Drama For Life
CHANGING LIVES THROUGH PERFORMANCE ACTIVISM
Hamish and Petro in the Drama For Life building at Wits University © Thom Pierce 2023
In the world of academia, Drama For Life is unique. It exists as a post-graduate programme that provides a space to increase the efficacy of performance-based messaging. Through arts intervention and drama therapy work they tackle public health, mental health, governance and environmental issues. But, alongside this academic course, Drama For Life also runs a series of outreach projects, a theatre company and a programme to promote mental health awareness in schools.
Petro Janse Van Vuuren runs the academic programme and Hamish Neill is the director of projects. Together, their approach is focused on making important information more accessible and engaging, continuing the work started by programme founder and fellow Actionist, Warren Nebe.
Whilst the academic programme is advertised as a post-graduate degree, the objective is to bring together experts and change-makers from around Africa, and beyond. They understand and embrace the power of expertise that originates from varied levels of education or educational backgrounds and, critically, years of hands-on experience. They offer a range of short, project-based bridging courses and recognise prior undocumented learning, experience and impact that equates to an undergraduate degree.
“This is someone who has been doing this for 20 years, to not allow them in because they didn’t have the papers, well that wasn’t their choice…Our education programme is part of our activism. It’s not just about getting in post-grad students and ticking boxes.“ - Hamish Neill
Drama For Life started in the early 2000s as a response to the fatigue that had set in around the dissemination of HIV information. There was a sense that important messaging was being lost in the oversaturated world of heavily funded HIV campaigns and that little was actually changing.
It evolved into a space for the long-term effectiveness and standards of performance-based activism, and healing, to grow by focusing on facilitating discussions, critical reflection and development through applied theatre practices. They recognise that their role is to bring the right people together and provide the tools and space for them to learn from each other.
“Our entire teaching programme relies on facilitating the collective information in the room.” - Petro Janse Van Vuuren
It is not often that you come across an entire university department so passionate about creating change, and, rarer still, one that understands their role so clearly as a facilitator of others’ expertise.
