A student-run interactive theatre workshop project uses performative arts to engage with Stellenbosch University (SU) students about campus drinking culture.
This was according to Tamia Thompson, an applied theatre studies student at SU, and facilitator of Stellendop. The third series instalment took place at Monica Women’s Residence at SU on 25 August.
Through the Stellendop initiative, drama students use interactive performances and reflective discussions to critically engage with SU students about their alcohol consumption and drinking habits.
The third session of the Stellendop project, which is a series of informative alcohol awareness projects hosted by honours in applied theatre studies students at Stellenbosch University, was held at Monica Women’s Residence on 25 August. The session encouraged a group discussion about their experiences with alcohol abuse. The student in the audio wishes to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the discussion. AUDIO: Talia Kincaid
The initiative is a collaborative effort between TakeAway Theatre and three SU students completing their honours in applied theatre studies, said Sean O’Connor, producer at TakeAway Theatre and co-founder of Mindful Drinking SA, an organisation that works on shifting South Africa’s festival drinking culture by destigmatising the consumption of non-alcoholic drinks.
TakeAway Theatre is a local production company that focuses on informing students about intervention strategies necessary to combat the effects of alcohol abuse, according to O’Connor.
The Stellendop initiative ultimately forms part of the applied theatre studies course at SU’s drama department and the students involved will be graded for their efforts.
“We’re just here to open up conversations about how we use alcohol to offer safe drinking habits,” stated Thompson.
Creating conversation
The pilot phase workshops took place on 12 and 18 August at Monica Women’s Residence, said O’ Connor. Each session was attended by approximately 20 people, he added.
The team aims to expand the initiative’s reach to students on the SU Tygerberg campus, said Frances Bruwer, Stellendop facilitator.
“When we had conversations with [Tygerberg’s leadership representatives], they said that there is a need for these types of conversations because their students are under immense [academic] pressure”, and often abuse alcohol as a coping method, said Mikyall Harris, Stellendop facilitator.
Students in applied drama and theatre studies at Stellenbosch University (SU) in collaboration with TakeAwayTheatre conducted a performative session informing students of the effects of alcohol indulgence on SU’s campus. The above graphic illustrates some things to consider when consuming alcohol. INFOGRAPHIC: Talia Kincaid
Moving forward
The pilot phase of the workshop will be completed within the next two weeks, said Harris. The team intends to curate the concerns and practical solutions raised during the sessions to create “an intervention strategy that will take the form of a performance”, said Harris.
There is a possibility to standardise the performance for all first-year students during their orientation phase, said Harris. This could “possibly become a long-term project for the university”.
The power of applied theatre
Universities can do their research on how to meaningfully engage with students about their drinking habits, but the only way to get sufficient ground data is to allow students to engage with something that they relate to, said Harris.
“It’s more effective when you actually engage yourself, because that’s how you learn,” said a participant of the workshop.*
The hope is that even if the workshops “don’t change people’s attitudes towards drinking, they can reflect on their interaction after the programme”, said Bruwer.
*The student in attendance wished to remain anonymous, due to the sensitive nature of the session’s topic.
Stellendop Project is an alcohol awareness workshop series facilitated by honours students in applied theatre studies at Stellenbosch University.
The project, in collaboration with TakeAway Theatre, is using applied theatre performances to engage with students on their alcohol consumption habits in an attempt to create meaningful conversations about overindulgence, according to Tamia Thompson, facilitator of Stellendop.
From left to right are the facilitators of the StellenDop project, Sean O’Connor, and the three students involved in the project, Mikyall Harris, Frances Bruwer, and Tamia Thompson. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid