Mira Delbaen explores Applied Musical Theatre as a socially engaged practice addressing domestic violence against women. By combining narrative, music and performance, Applied Musical Theatre offers a multimodal framework through which complex experiences can be made tangible and emotionally accessible to an audience. Drawing on insights from music psychology and performance studies, the project is based on the hypothesis that music plays a central dramaturgical role in shaping empathy, interpretation and audience perception.
The research consists of two complementary components: a discursive and an artistic strand. The artistic component involves the development of an immersive, community-based Applied Musical Theatre performance, grounded in the participatory input of women who have experienced domestic violence within intimate partner relationships. This focus is a deliberate methodological choice and responds to the social urgency surrounding violence against women, as well as questions of credibility, recognition and intervention. The performance examines the role of the audience as witness and uses different musical perspectives and contextual framing to explore how bias and interpretation influence perceptions of violence.
Methodologically, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach integrating qualitative, quantitative and practice-based research. Narratives are gathered through participatory workshops and semi-structured interviews.
Audience impact is examined through pre- and post-performance surveys and focus groups, with particular attention to changes in empathy and perception. By connecting artistic practice with empirical analysis, the research contributes to the development of Applied Musical Theatre as a socially engaged art form and offers new insights into the dramaturgical use of music in fostering awareness around domestic violence.