Examining the UK asylum system through the lens of applied theatre

This chapter examines how narratives take shape and are handled within both Applied Theatre practice and the United Kingdom’s asylum system. It begins by outlining the field of Applied Theatre, examining its key principles, forms of practice, and ethical commitments, with particular attention to trauma-informed approaches when working with marginalised communities. Building on existing scholarship, the chapter offers a context-specific reflection on care, responsibility, and practitioner positionality, highlighting how personal narratives are facilitated, shaped, and understood within participatory performance contexts. The discussion then turns to the UK asylum system, situating its contemporary operation within wider socio-political dynamics and enduring colonial legacies. Through a comparative analysis of how narratives are elicited, interpreted, and assessed across both contexts, the chapter foregrounds questions of agency, power, and ethical accountability. By placing these fields in critical dialogue, it argues that trauma-informed and participatory methodologies from Applied Theatre offer important insights for rethinking professional training and institutional approaches to lived experience, contributing to broader interdisciplinary debates on storytelling and systemic power.