On March 4, 2026, the Center for Research on Faith and Human Flourishing at LCC International
University hosted a Faculty Research Seminar titled “Researching Everyday Peace Through Adapted
Documentary Theatre Performance: The Gift.” The hybrid event brought together faculty, students,
and online participants to explore innovative approaches to research through artistic practice.
The seminar featured a presentation by Giedrė Norman, mediator, conflict transformation instructor,
researcher, and applied theatre facilitator. Her research examines how arts-based methodologies,
particularly documentary theatre and choreography, can illuminate forms of everyday peace—small
acts through which individuals resist conflict and rebuild human relationships. The project is inspired
by an Armenian family story reflecting themes of reconciliation, memory, and moral courage.
Giedrė Norman explained how arts-based research allows scholars to move beyond traditional verbal
analysis by engaging emotional, embodied, and experiential forms of knowledge. In her project,
community members, students, and performers collaborated to create a documentary theatre
performance titled “The Gift,” combining verbatim storytelling with choreography to explore the
meaning of peace and solidarity across divided communities.
The presentation was followed by responses from Ksenija Ševcova, who teaches courses in
reminiscence theatre, intercultural communication, and arts and culture at LCC International
University, and Dr. Miriam Mary Brgles, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the
Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb, who joined the seminar online and brings expertise in
qualitative and arts-based research approaches.
Ksenija Ševcova emphasized the importance of bringing individual human stories to the foreground
in order to challenge “us versus them” thinking. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, she
noted that projects like this help audiences recognize the humanity and individuality of those often
perceived only as members of opposing groups, encouraging empathy and opening possibilities for
everyday peace.
Dr. Brgles focused on the methodological significance of the project and the growing role of arts-
based research in the social sciences. She highlighted that artistic practices can function not only as a
way to present research, but also as a mode of inquiry that deepens understanding of human
experience. In particular, she emphasized the importance of researcher positionality and reflexivity,
noting that in arts-based and qualitative research the researcher’s role can evolve throughout the
process—from observer to collaborator and co-creator.
The seminar concluded with an engaging discussion involving audience members and performers
from the performance “The Gift” who had participated in the creative process. The conversation
reflected on how artistic methods can help communities engage collective memories, process trauma,
and explore possibilities for reconciliation.
This seminar was part of the monthly Spring 2026 Faculty Research Seminar series, which provides
a space for interdisciplinary dialogue, feedback on research in progress, and the sharing of innovative
scholarship within the LCC International University academic community.