Rockpocalypse: Shaping new work in regional Australia

Jessica Lamb shares a novel approach to engaging theatre averse and ambivalent communities in the development of new, locally responsive work. Drawing on the rich theoretical construct of The Gift, the Rockpocalypse case study explores how theatre making might be refrained in gaming terms, tapping into the cultural zeitgeist of a community whose voices remain underrepresented on Australian stages. Underpinned by an interdisciplinary body of literature and pulling threads from writings on applied theatre and game studies, Rockpocalypse speaks to the importance of .finding 'family resemblances' (Wittgenstein, 1986 [1953], p. 32) when working in community contexts. Through her practice, Lamb has sought to demystify the theatre making process for those on the margins of this cultural paradigm, asserting the universality of story, place and belonging, regardless of which forms of play we choose to engage in.