Theatre as safe space? Performing intergenerational narratives with men of Irish descent

In answering the question of ‘how will you ensure confidentiality?’ we are asked to anonymise transcripts (as well as photos, images, artefacts); participants names are to be changed with pseudonyms used throughout; when particular sensitivities arise, we are to age-band people and change place names; where appropriate, family relationships should not be revealed; where necessary, identity characteristics within transcripts should be removed. This is what the ethical researcher is told to adhere to. Building on previous work in social and cultural geography Mattingly, D. (2001). Place, teenagers and representations: Lessons from a community theatre project. Social Ní Laoire, C. (2007). To name or not to name: Reflections on the use of anonymity in an oral archive of migrant life narratives. Social & Cultural Geography, 8, 373–390, and drawing empirically from the verbatim play I commissioned based on my research, I put forward the case for theatre as a ‘safe space’ for participant narratives negotiated within the political arena of representation. In this article, I use my intergenerational research with 38 men of Irish descent to argue that an/the ethical focus should not remain on participant protection through the removal of ‘revealing’ information but instead we should be pursuing options and avenues for ‘safe spaces’ to voice participant stories.