Abstract

ABSTRACT

This research charts the process of empowerment of a young artist, the researcher, through feminist pedagogy and theatre creation, using narrative inquiry as methodology. The research is focusses on the Montreal-based, non-profit theatre production company, Imago Theatre, specifically within the Artista program, Imago’s free theatre mentorship program for young women 16 to 21 years old. The outcome of this narrative investigation is an emerging feminist pedagogy, specific to Artista’s theatre mentorship and training environment. Data manifests as narrative scenes, each inspired by short memories of resistances faced by the researcher in their role as Artista’s Program Director and in their trajectory towards becoming a professional theatre artist and creator. The self-reflexive process of writing these narrative scenes involved the recollection and recreation of memories to make teaching instincts visible, interrogate these habits, and reconsider the pedagogical approach to more effectively empower Artista’s young participants and build an intergenerational community of emerging and established women theatre artists in Montreal. These values of community-building and exchange are inherent to the the mandate of the Artista program. Findings are placed in conversation with feminist theory, critical pedagogy, engaged pedagogy and collective creation practices to arrive at the four pillars of the emerging feminist pedagogy composed of Resistance/Empowerment, Storytelling, Collective Creation and Self-Actualization.