Bennett, SusanRichards, Kimberly2013-04-292013-06-102013-04-292013Richards, K. (2013). Building a Monument to the “Truth about War”: ISÔKO’s Monument in Rwanda and in Toronto (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25178http://hdl.handle.net/11023/630This thesis tests the limits of applied theatre production by examining performances of Colleen Wagner’s play The Monument by ISÔKO: The Theatre Source, an intercultural Canadian-Rwandan theatre company. I detail how ISÔKO challenged discourses that normalize the notion of forgiveness when they performed at makeshift theatres in Rwanda (2008-2011) and at the 2011 World Stage Festival in Toronto, Canada. I illustrate the radical potential of a Canadian play to provoke important discussions about citizenship and justice through the production of a utopian performative, but I expose the problem of voyeurism when an applied theatre company from a place of war performs a play about a post-genocide community at an international festival. ISÔKO’s Monument enabled productive social work on the World Stage, but only by refusing to produce utopia in performance. I conclude that a performance does not fit within the applied theatre rubric when it cannot gesture towards hope.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.TheaterLiterature--Canadian (English)Canadian dramaintercultural performanceReconciliationRwandatrauma studiesmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/25178