Ethnodrama : constructing participatory, experiential and compelling action research through performance

Through the use of illustrative script and other data drawn from a number of emancipatory research projects, this chapter endeavours to portray the construction of a new form of participatory and interactional; theatre that negotiates and constructs understandings and meanings in conjunction with its participants and audiences. In this context, critical ethnography has been combined with performance to construct the new form of theatre which we have labelled ethnodrama. The ethnodramas described seek to translate action research into reflexive, reflective performances which are both educational tools for teaching nursing and medical students and a form of voicing to service providers by health consumers.