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Arts, Sustainability and Education pp 97–111Cite as

Educational Theatre and Sustainable Development: Critical Reflections Based on Experiences from the Context of Bulgaria

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Abstract

Theatre and drama-based education have long been employed as a means of transformative teaching and learning. Whether and if so, how they can contribute to developing the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to transform societies into more sustainable ones, however, is an open question that this chapter aims to address. It does so by reflecting critically on the experiences of an educational theatre with a long history of supporting science education in the context of Bulgaria. Key competencies for sustainable development and critiques thereof are used as a basis for guiding reflection on the possibilities for harnessing the potential of theatre to contribute to it. The results highlight its promising potential and also draw attention to possible challenges that should be taken into account in the design of future drama-based education programs that aim to contribute to sustainable development.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this article, we use the terms educational theatre, theatre in education and drama-based education, among others, interchangeably to refer to the diverse use of theatre in the context of education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Radka Vasileva

  2. RMIT Europe, Barcelona, Spain

    Nevelina Pachova

Authors
  1. Radka Vasileva
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  2. Nevelina Pachova
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Correspondence to Nevelina Pachova .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Academy of Fine Arts Munich, München, Bayern, Germany

    Ernst Wagner

  2. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Charlotte Svendler Nielsen

  3. Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Luísa Veloso

  4. Aalto University, Aalto, Finland

    Anniina Suominen

  5. RMIT Europe, Barcelona, Spain

    Nevelina Pachova

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Vasileva, R., Pachova, N. (2021). Educational Theatre and Sustainable Development: Critical Reflections Based on Experiences from the Context of Bulgaria. In: Wagner, E., Svendler Nielsen, C., Veloso, L., Suominen, A., Pachova, N. (eds) Arts, Sustainability and Education. Yearbook of the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3452-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3452-9_5

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