Theatre for Social Change

Abstract

The use of theatre beyond entertainment on stage has a long history. Through changing times, it newlinehas been used to mobilise social change through community education and empowerment, raise newlineconsciousness, voice concerns, and take actions towards one s own development. Following the newlinepioneering work of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal in the 1970s, strongly participatory forms of newlinesocial theatre emerged as an effective instrument of social development overriding the overarching newlineimportance of state over its people. This research study explores how two organisations in West newlineBengal, both inspired by Boal s philosophy and methods, use Theatre for the Oppressed and Theatre newlinefor Development methodology to bring about positive changes with respect to rights-based issues in newlinetheir fields of action. The research has delved into the analysis and comparison of the two processes newlineto understand their similarities and differences and how that affects social development work. An newlineimportant focus of the study has been the analysis of women s empowerment through the use of newlinesocial theatre, especially through the lens of Foucault s notions of power relations and resistance. newlineAs Boal s methodology has been the main inspiration for the two cases under study, the study has newlinealso explored conceptual intersections of Boal and Foucault s work. The analysis of how theatre newlinehas affected women s empowerment includes a discussion of the more nuanced post structuralist newlineanalysis of agency as well as the more simplistic framework which explains empowerment through newlinethe three stages of resource-agency-outcome. The research has also tried to identify factors that newlinehave eased and promoted developments happening through community-led action mobilised by newlinetheatre-based approaches and factors that have hindered such movements, noting that theatre newlineas a tool for community education and empowerment is helped by a conducive state-supported newlineenvironment that supports community-led actions. Through an in-depth case study approach, this newlineresearch has laid out the scope for furthering research in this sector in India to create an increasing newlinebody of knowledge on this important area of work that has not yet been adequately explored. newlineix newline