Hope in a Collapsing World: Youth, Theatre, and Listening as a Political Alternative

"In a time of so much despair, this book is a creative tour de force full of hopefulness. It represents some of the finest work and the most sophisticated art forms the field has seen. Hope in a Collapsing World is beautiful, breathtaking, moving, and thoughtful."

Jo-Anne Dillabough, Professor, Sociology of Young People and Global Cultures and Sociology of Education, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

"This is a book that inspires as it educates. It charts ways in which listening can be made a truly democratic practice, one that calls forth connection, compassion, and care. Theatre provides an affective medium through which young people can speak to the world, and invite audiences to enter their acts of care. In activating care, they sustain hope. Hope is here revealed to be a collective process of turning towards the world with shared responsibility for its precarious future."

Helen Cahill, Emeritus Professor, Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia

"This book is vital. At a moment when everyone needs to feel connected, Gallagher’s empathetic and meticulous study of theatre with young people brings the hope we need. Witnessing playwright Andrew Kushnir and theatre educators reaching across the world is moving and beautiful. Listening to young people’s stories – becoming attuned to their dreams and vulnerabilities – is not simply a moment of creative care, but a lasting political act."

Helen Nicholson, Professor of Theatre and Performance, Royal Holloway, University of London

"An emotional and artistic feast, Gallagher’s book is an outstanding account of five years of transnational theatre-based exploration. Hope in a Collapsing World thinks carefully alongside an artistic and research process to inspire us as theatre makers to listen more profoundly. I would recommend it to anyone seeking respectful ways of working with and learning from young people as they demand a more just future."

James Thompson, Professor of Applied Theatre , University of Manchester