Dr Bobby Smith is collaborating with co-researchers, practitioners and arts organisations to explore the relationships between performance and violence through an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project - the 'Stages of Violence Research Network'. Collaborators include Mashirika Arts and IRIBA Center (Rwanda), Amani People’s Theatre and Dr Michael Owiso from Maseno University (Kenya), Derry Playhouse and Kabosh (Northern Ireland) and Dr Maeline Le Lay (co-investigator, CNRS France). The network will enable a timely exploration of the relationships between performance and violence over a two-year period.

More specifically, the network will consider how performance relates to acts of collective violence, defined as the participation in, and/or formation of, groups who engage in violence against others for economic, political or social gain. We will ask how performance and performance makers represent, challenge, and/or sustain violence? This question will be explored through key events held in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Rwanda, and a final online symposium. Across these events, collaborators and attendees will share their knowledge, experiences and practices and it is hoped that new networks and partnerships can emerge, leading to continued enquiry and projects in this area.

You can follow @SofVNetwork on Twitter for updates on the project.