Category: Powered by the Apocalypse: Discussion

Are you familiar with Vincent Baker’s *Bedlam Beautiful?* It’s a dark and disturbing game about emotional violence in the veins of Firebrands, The King is Dead, etc.

I tried it out a couple of times and realized that at it’s core it actually has a very hopeful and positive assumption about finding true love (by true love I don’t mean the romanticized notion of ‘the One’, but a mutual and emancipated relationship).

So a few weeks ago I used #BedlamBeautiful as the basis for a 2-day-long sensitivity training in a theater and drama summer camp. I dissected the game and reused everything I could (places, tones, appearances, characters, rules about speaking, actual lines). I used techniques from #Bibliodrama and #PlaybackTheater, and ‘conventions’ from #ProcessDrama. This way we explored the topics of getting acquainted, emotional violence, toxic relationships, safety considerations, etc. The students loved it!

The coolest thing is that my colleague used these experiences to assemble a theater play, and with my assistance she made a very Lynchian, surreal show with the kids. Just in 3 intense days. It’s title was *Bleat* (goats are hip again since the #VVitch!). So to officially inform you all: *PbtA games are going on stage!* 😀