ReView / Social Fictions Series (PDF)

"ReView is an anthology of plays committed to social justice and grounded in socially-based research. These plays-as-research aim to provide a space for readers to imaginatively engage with multi-layered social issues in cultural, political and historical contexts; or to re-view personal and social assumptions in these contexts. The characters within the anthology's pages struggle through complex relationships and differing needs related to ageing, sexuality, homophobia, race, gender, class, bullying, discrimination, as well as hope, joy and humour. This unique anthology assembles strong cross-disciplinary projects moving beyond the attempt to explore complex social issues from the standpoint of a single discipline. Collaborators range from education, equity studies, theatre and performance studies, public health, nursing, sociology, recreation therapy, and health studies, as well as being both academics and practicing artists. Each play includes an academic introduction and each artist-researcher team poses thoughtful, open-ended discussion questions to help guide readers and support reflection. This collection can be read purely for pleasure, or used in courses that address education, sociology, women and gender studies, equity studies, cultural studies, communication studies, performance and theatre studies, language and literature studies, disability studies and health studies.

"This is a stunning text ... a gift for educators." Jane Gaskell, Ph.D., Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

"What lies at the core of the plays in this anthology is a quest towards social justice, honesty, and valuing one another for who we are." George Belliveau, Ph.D., University of British Columbia

"ReView manages the difficult balance of multidisciplinary collaboration, tackling sensitive topics professionally and delivering great theatre." Valerie Lipscomb, Ph.D., University of South Florida Sarasota Manatee

"I fully recommend ReView to teachers and students seeking a lively and powerful entry point into social justice issues." Gavin Andrews, Ph.D., McMaster University

Julia Gray is a playwright, theatre director, physical theatre creator and artist-researcher based in Toronto, Canada."