Jennifer S Hartley

Jennifer S Hartley is a Scottish applied theatre practitioner, director and writer. She is the author of the recently published Applied Theatre in Action: a Journey, as well as various plays, poetry and other writings. Hartley summed up her work in theatre in Applied Theatre in Action, stating:

Over the last few years I have been spat on and punched; I have had my life threatened at knife point, gunpoint and by machete wielding bandits; I have been scratched by a rabid bat, chased by packs of rats – on more than one occasion - and bitten by poisonous spiders; I have been cursed by witch doctors and had spells cast upon me, which I went to unbelievable lengths to have removed; I have been caught in civil conflict more than once and was even implicated in a conspiracy that had resulted in the fatal shooting of a vice-president. The world of applied theatre does not require any or all of the above ... my work in applied theatre has however led me to projects with unconventional settings and groups.[1]

Early life and education

Hartley was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Scottish parents who were both teachers. Influenced by a strict religious upbringing, Spanish grandparents and a strong desire to rebel, she quickly carved out an unconventional path combining writing, theatre and counselling. After completing a degree in English Literature and Linguistics at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, she went on to study direction and acting. She specialised in applied theatre practices seeing it as an opportunity to combine her artistic skills and counselling background. Hartley's educational achievements are many and varied, culminating in a doctorate from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh where she addressed the effects of oppression on creativity.[2]

Career

After a number of directing theatre ventures in the UK and abroad, Hartley’s work focused on South America, where she produced and directed theatre in both Spanish and English. At this time, Hartley was also teaching and lecturing on both drama theory and practice. Her work focused on therapy through theatre, working extensively with theories and methodology related to Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed. Through their study and application, Hartley developed her own working practice, one that she now uses to work with minority and oppressed groups (in addition to their respective oppressors) internationally.[3]

This, in turn, has led to a number of studies, publications and works by Hartley including plays, academic articles, and poetry. Hartley's plays include The Art of Silence (2005), The Sin Eater (2006), and 'Til Death do us Part (2010). The Art of Silence was performed in over eight countries and in three different languages, including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006. Hartley regularly works on various theatre projects, both community and therapy-based, from which new writing is also being developed.

In 2010, Hartley gave a talk at the TEDx conference in Bangkok entitled The Truth in the Lie. This talk addressed the idea of personal truths as perceived by individuals, and hence the ultimately subjective nature of truth itself.[4]

Other activities

Hartley is the founder and director of the UK registered charity[5] Theatre Versus Oppression (TVO) which “challenges discrimination and injustice at any level and aims to develop communities who help to create a better and more peaceful living environment through intercultural understanding and respect”. She has run projects around the world with TVO including work in Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, the USA and the UK. Hartley is regularly developing new projects in the UK and abroad, working in conjunction with various other non-profit organisations and educational establishments. Hartley is also the co-director and co-founder of media company Multi Story Media.

Published works

Plays

Non-fiction

Poetry

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hartley, Jennifer S (2012). Applied Theatre in action: a journey. UK: Trentham. pp. xvi. ISBN 1858564964.
  2. ↑ "Directora escocesa completó su doctorado en teatro paraguayo". Retrieved 1 October 2012. (Spanish)
  3. ↑ "Biography of Jennifer S Hartley". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "TEDxKrungthep - Jennifer Hartley - "The Truth in the Lie"". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Extract from the Scottish Charity Register". Retrieved 1 October 2012.

External links

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