Lireko Qhobela is a PhD fellow with The Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest. She graduated from The University of the Witwatersrand with an MA in drama therapy. Her current research project seeks to understand how applied drama and theatre practitioners experience their practice within a post-apartheid context. The project was inspired by the desire to inquire about the mental and emotional wellbeing of South African actors. Other research interests include; embodied histories, space and place, and performer wellbeing.

Current Research Project

Analysis of Experiences of Applied Drama and Theatre Practitioners in the South African Context: A Practice-led Approach

The project seeks to understand how applied drama and theatre practitioners are affected by their practice in the post-apartheid contexts and how the youth communities receive these interventions. The project was inspired by the desire to inquire about the mental and emotional well-being of South African actors. In part, it therefore wishes to discover the possibilities of how a collective trauma history impacts on actors whose job is to constantly translate, embody and present narratives of the post-apartheid.

Supervisors: Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Prof Petrus du Preez

Email: lirekoqhobela@gmail.com | Tel: +27 (21) 808 4047

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

Qhobela, L. (2023). Embracing dialogue as breathing: Exploring drama therapy as a tool for facilitating uncomfortable historical conversations. Drama Therapy Review, 9(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00117_1