Addressing IDIERI 9’s theme of ‘the Tyranny of Distance’, specifically the aesthetics and politics of distance, this panel considers emerging approaches to drama pedagogies as a means of recovering distance in its metaphorical understanding. Examining modes from dialogical drama, digital storytelling, process drama, and playbuilding, the papers explore these varied approaches, methodologies and technologies as connexions and conduits, bridges and pathways, to understanding and appreciating difference(s) of cultural, ideological and class identities.
Charlene Rajendran:
Theatre educator, dramaturg and writer, is based at the National Institute of Education – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her interests
include contemporary Southeast Asian performance and dialogical approaches to arts pedagogy. She is Co-Director of the Asian Dramaturgs’ Network and serves on the Internal
Advisory Committee for UNESCO-NIE Centre for Arts Research in Education (CARE).
Mr. S. Rethinavel (Rethi):
A MOE teacher for 10 years specializing in the subjects of History, PE and Drama. He was also an amateur Theatre practitioner before his interests turned into drama-in-education. He currently works at the National Institute of Education as a Lecturer in drama education. His research interests include Critical Pedagogy, Digital Storytelling and Multimodality.
Jennifer Wong:
Lecturer in the National Institute of Education (NIE)/Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Before joining NIE, she spent ten years in Singapore Polytechnic where she was one of the key members in designing and starting the Applied Drama Diploma. Her interests include participatory arts and child and youth development.
