This study introduces into performance discourse the mbokodofication of Black women – that is, the production of the ‘Strong Black Woman' trope, specifically in the South African context. To this end, the study traces the genealogy of the tropes of Black womanhood that have emerged throughout the history of the South African literary canon, analyzing them critically for their varied contributions to the (mis)representations of Black women, both on stage and in the world. Employing the joint methodologies of Practice as Research and African Feminist Autoethnography (which I propose as a variant of Black Feminist Autoethnography specifically contextualized to Black African women), the study unpacks the psychological effects of mbokodofication on Black women performers who, through this phenomenon, become locked into the Sisyphean task of portraying trauma and having this trauma re-inscribed to them through the mimetic style of performance imposed by the dramatic paradigm. The ways in which the dramatic paradigm reproduces coloniality are explored and code-switching is proposed as a potential aesthetic liberator for performers who wish to obfuscate and make visible certain elements of Black womanhood from the violent colonial gaze and thus protect themselves from post-dramatic stress. The study follows the trajectory of my research enquiry and performance practice to explicate the dramaturgical process which brought into being my thesis production, Malibongwe, and, in the end, proposes the work as a post-mbokodoist manifesto.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that co-infections of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and Chlamydia trachomatis occur in vivo. Data from a tissue culture model of C. trachomatis/HSV-2 co-infection indicate that viral co-infection stimulates the formation of persistent chlamydiae. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses demonstrated that in both HeLa and HEC-1B cells, co-infection caused developing chlamydiae to exhibit swollen, aberrantly shaped reticulate bodies (RBs), characteristically observed in persistence. Additionally, HSV-2 co-infection suppressed production of infectious chlamydial elementary bodies (EBs) in both host cell types. Co-infection with HSV type 1 (HSV-1) produced similar morphologic alterations and abrogated infectious EB production. These data indicate that virus-induced chlamydial persistence was neither host cell-nor virus strain-specific. Purification of crude HSV-2 stocks demonstrated that viral particles were required for coinfection-induced chlamydial persistence to occur. Finally, co-infection with either UV-inactivated, replication-incompetent virus or replication-competent HSV-2 in the presence of cyclohexamide reduced chlamydial infectivity without altering chlamydial genomic DNA accumulation. These data demonstrate that productive viral replication is not required for the induction of chlamydial persistence and suggest that HSV attachment and entry can provide the necessary stimulus to alter C. trachomatis development.

Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation focuses on the use of drama as a method of fostering inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers living in host communities. It examines two theatrically based studies simultaneously facilitated over a six month period between July and December of 2012 and explores the two programs from the stage of conception to conclusions regarding their effectiveness in tackling issues related to social exclusion, xenophobic sentiment and violence.The study approaches the topic from three social perspectives considering the position of refugee, host and facilitator and parallels these positions in order to highlight relationship structures which both prevent and assist in the fostering of inclusion and/or coexistence. The study further examines how the interactions help to develop the programs and how the use of theatre can bridge societal gaps; with a unique focus on environments where host and refugee find themselves in a non-encounter position due to the potential for violence. The research methodology stems primarily from grounded theory and brings together elements of symbolic interactionism, pedagogy, sociology, psychology and applied theatre. The method looks at increasing and facilitating communication about and between host and refugee through exploration in applied theatre and intends to increase social understanding between the parties by challenging participant’s stereotypes of the other.

This dissertation examines the theatre making process of a youth theatre group in Khayelitsha called Qina n Divas. It considers why and how this theatre making process is a youth development tool within the ambit of applied theatre. The study is partly driven by my memories and experiences of growing up in a township, as well as applied theatre aims, which are to use theatre to address social issues and honor the participants’ ways of using theatre to address their issues. I examine how the Qina n Divas young people, who are growing up in an environment that challenges their development, use theatre making as a way of reviewing and revaluing their lives. I identify and examine the various systems that influence the youth’s lives and that limit their use of theatre as a liberation tool in that the theatre making is a rehearsal of their issues rather than becoming a means of interrogating the issues. As I am immersed in the township context I also reflect on my involvement and how I unintentionally became part of the problem, which limits the youth’s development. My position of being an applied theatre practitioner and researcher is informed by my Xhosa cultural identity, my Zulu schooling and my English-speaking higher education, which also influenced my relationship with the youth. In the research process, the young people and I exchanged several theatre making methods. The theatre making explored themes of bullying, rape, environmental issues, parental love and abandonment, which revealed the youth’s emotions and thoughts about these themes. In spite of the above-mentioned limitations, I propose that theatre making allows the youth to use their imaginations to construct their identity in a partly secure space and to journey beyond the township to the Cape Town suburbs. The theatre practice induces a sense of hope amongst the youth and allows them to voice the issues that matter to them.

Includes bibliographical references. / The explication presents Orange Book as a piece of site-responsive public space performance, showing how similar patterns of thought and feeling emerging in both research and artwork led to elaborating the notion of an art methodology for the work. The explication further considers a process of research into drama and history in relation to contemporary performance: where narrative dramatic forms,whether organic or fragmented, show history as a fait accompli, an aesthetic orientation around open structures and non-narrative performance modes allows for a constructive, ethically directed, philosophical engagement with historical process. The explication thus demonstrates implications of biography, philosophy, history and dramatization in my search for a distinctive performance idiom.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62). / This dissertation examines the process of creating Jingle Dreams with the youth in Clanwilliam. It aims to ascertain whether the processes of Community Theatre drama create opportunities for the individuals in the identified community to explore a social identity influenced by historical legacy, heritage, memory (or absence thereof) and socio-economic environment. The intention of the dissertation is influenced by the Applied Drama mission to benefit individuals, communities and societies through artistic forms of intervention such as dramatic activities, theatre directing, mediation and discussions. I will examine how the processes and the performative qualities of drama and theatre have the potential to transform individuals and society. Community Theatre creates the space for young people to share and question common experiences of life. This ensures that marginalised voices are heard which has psychological and social benefits for the participants. The dissertation proposes to interrogate how young people revealed their social identity through the narrative structure, dialogue, stereotypes and symbols in Jingle Dreams. I have been strongly motivated by the work of Augusto Boal which was the source of a large part of the dramatic processes. In the research process, the young people belonging to The Community Networking Creative Arts Group were encouraged to find their own forms of artistic, cultural and theatrical expression. During the rehearsal process, the group improvised and developed many scenes which reflected issues such as alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence and intergenerational tension. The narrative of the performance was based both on their stories and on stories from their community. It reflected their circumstances, their struggles, their hopes and their dreams. Theatre devised in community situations reflects concern with the representation of memory, and participants are invited to recognise that autobiographical narratives have social, communitarian and historical significance, as well as personal relevance. Performers drew on their own experiences to devise the scenes. This process often emphasised how the boundaries between truth and fiction are blurred. The lack of a clear distinction between fact and art facilitated the revelation, exploration and contestation of social identity.

This thesis reflects the author's views on the use of the medium of community drama within the method of community social work. Through participant observation, the author gained an insight into the medium over a period of four years in which he undertook some experiments himself, observed experiments undertaken by others, discussed the variables with colleagues and, through a literature search, compared notes. This thesis is an outcome of that research. The author regards community drama as derived from psycho- and sociodramatic principles and roleplay, and as offering part of community theatre; but a unique contribution as a communication medium when facilitated by the social worker (enabler) to enlist local support in working on community needs. Within community social work, the medium consists of the following phases: the introduction and preparation, performance, audience involvement and the follow-up phase. The enabler is viewed as an important link to facilitate the various phases, and guidelines are provided to ensure that the first critical attempt with the medium will be successful. Effective employment depends not only on the enabler following these guidelines, but also relies on the co-operation of others involved with the issue, and calls for a unified objective shared by all participants. For this reason, the 'actor' target group must be carefully selected by the enabler before introducing the idea of community drama to the community. The introduction should follow a sequence of steps to transform the community's shared common idea/need into spontaneous dramatisations.

Includes bibliographica references (leaves 34-40). / This research sought to investigate new aesthetic approaches in the creation of feminist Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), specifically for early adolescent girls, through two collaborative workshop processes designed to be ethical and respectful of the participants' contribution. The parallels between the research into a new aesthetic for TYA and current trends in Applied Theatre practice led the researcher to shift focus into self-study and a critique of practice to enhance self-reflexive praxis, which strives to be ethical. Issues surrounding representation took precedence in an attempt to speak to the lived experiences of the early adolescent South African girl. The difficulties in the process resulted in an inequitable relationship between the researcher and the participants who were unable to meet the criteria for successful theatre making without the researcher's facilitation.

Contemporary artists have been successful in breaking into prisons and persuading the prison institutions, the general public and prison educators to legitimize artistic activity. However, the discourses on prison theatre have been largely dominated by therapeutic and rehabilitative agendas, possibly at the expense of theatre practice - its aesthetic strategies, and aural and visual qualities. This research comes against such a background. The research project was developed in response to the debates and concerns about artistic work in applied prison theatre. It was located at the borders of what can be articulated about aesthetic intervention 'without purpose' in a prison setting; - without purpose in the sense of eschewing big claims of social and psychological efficacy. Through the practice of a/r/tography, which is a means of inquiry through a method of art making, the research examined what is possible about the work. Of particular interest was the potential to explore possibilities for aesthetic intervention understandings and nuances in prison theatre. Be that as it may, although there was a conscious moving away from the applied umbrella as overtly instrumentalist, it can be argued from the findings that there is a possible tension of falling under the umbrella.

This is a practice as research (PAR) study that investigates Process drama as a pedagogical methodology for second language acquisition. The dramas were structured around role play in fictional situations designed to improve the pupils' vocabulary in English, mainly using the strategies of Teacher in Role and Mantle of the Expert. This research demonstrates the effect and affect of placing the pupils in experiential learning environments that empower him/her to be a co-creator of knowledge, as well as the skills needed by the researcher to facilitate this process. The pilot study was designed for implementation over four months, with pupils in second language English classes in grades 2 and 3 (i.e. seven/eight years old). Qualitative research methods were used, including critical and reflexive ethnography, simple questionnaires, and unstructured interviews with teachers and pupils, Teachers' and Visitors' feedback, video recordings and the researcher's journal. The sample of participants was too small to make recommendations, but the study tested the Process Drama method and the techniques of role, Teacher-in-role and Mantle of the Expert. The analysis of the project draws from the theoretical principles applied in other case studies by practitioners in the field, comparing the methods used and their outcomes. As well as the assumption that Process Drama is a good way to teach language because it creates the space for emotion and cognition to co-exist within the learning space.