Dialectical Collaborative Theatre: practising equality by facilitating non-material ideology in the production process

This article discusses the relationship between ethics and ideology and how this relationship forms the basis of the practice of BloodWater Theatre, a collective I formed to explore equality in collaborative theatre-making. I highlight the prevalence of inequality, even in oppositional theatre, and argue for Dialectical Collaborative Theatre (DCT), a research/production/performance methodology I developed to interrupt hegemonic collaborative theatre practice. I discuss the development of DCT, derived from Marx’s theory of ‘capital’ and ‘cooperation’, analysing BloodWater Theatre’s practical exploration of the tensions between performance as product and as process. I propose a rethinking of the enduring association of ‘utility’ with capitalist objectives of productivity and profit, proposing instead Bentham’s ethical formulations of utility. I argue that the relationship between material and non-material ideology should be explored, to facilitate utopian ideals and reposition ethics in collaborative theatre practice today.