Open Circle: Playing Coexistence in Ten Movements

Abstract

The central focus of this article is Open Circle, a play written by Esther Uria-Iriarte that follows Arts Based Research (ABR) methods in theatrically interpreting the results of a doctoral research study carried out in four secondary schools in The Basque Country of Spain. The research aims to analyze the implications of theater as a methodological strategy for the improvement of coexistence in secondary students of The Basque Country. Open Circle is accompanied by the relevant theoretical foundations that support the ABR methodology and the aesthetic strategies applied to writing the play. In an intercalated way, we present various fragments of the theatrical work that reflect the researcher’s feelings during the research process, including her difficulties and vulnerability in working with adolescent participants, as well as her frustrations in facing the contradictions in her research results.