The Radical Act of Listening: Making Documentary and Investigative Theatre

The Radical Act of Listening: Making Documenatry and Investigative Theatre explores best practices in the field of Documentary and Investigative theatre and offers readers a how-to guide for making their own work, written by a leading practitioner in the field.

This book looks at how listening can radically bring about change through documentary and investigative theatre. It examines the mechanics and value of listening and how theatre practitioners can use these skills to create theatre. What does it mean to really listen, especially during a time when everyone is shouting? Can we listen without an agenda? Can we take what we hear and find ethical ways to share it with others so that we capture nuance, complexity, contradiction, i.e., all things human? In exploring these questions, author KJ Sanchez shares conversations with peers and fellow artists who work in the fields of interview-based and non-fiction art practices, to look at what it takes to be a great listener and a great theatre maker.

Featuring key artists, themes, and practices, this book is written for students and practitioners interested in creating documentary and investigative theatre, as well as other interview-based artforms.

KJ Sanchez is a professional playwright and director. She is an Associate Professor and head of the MFA Playwriting and Directing programs at the University of Texas, Austin. She is also the founder and CEO of American Records, a theatre company dedicated to making theatre that chronicles our time and serves as a bridge between people.