KITWE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

STAFF COLLEGE.

STUDENT NAME : JANE MULENGA

LECTURER NAME : MS.E.M.MACHILA

COURSE : COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SUBJECT : PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

TASK : USING AT LEAST THREE TYPES OF THEATRE SHOW

CLEARLY HOW THEATRE CAN BE USED IN BRING ABOUT
DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRY.
At the very core of human nature is an instinct to gather together with one another and share our
experiences and perspectives to tell and hear stories. And ever since the first humans huddled around
a fire to share these stories, there has been theatre. As people evolved, so did the stories they told and
the settings where they told them. Modern theatre may have sophisticated audiences, highly trained
actors, and state-of-the-art theatre equipment, but the essence of the storytelling experience the shared
energy between audience and performer is unchanged from our earliest history. The biggest
difference is the building where theatre happens. Theatre buildings evolved from the open-air
amphitheatres of the Greeks and Romans to the incredible array of forms we see today. Though some
forms work better for particular types of performance, there is no ideal shape for a theatre. A theatre
may house drama, classical or popular music, opera, musicals, ballet, modern dance, spoken word,
circus, or any activity where an artist communicates with an audience. How could any one kind of
building work for all these different types of performance? There is no ideal theatre size. The scale of
a theatre depends on the size of the staging required, the type of performance, and the size of the
audience, with
each variable influencing the others as they change. With that kind of nuance, no one-size-fits-all
formula works. A theatre is not simply a space for watching a performance. A successful theatre
supports the emotional exchange between the performer and the audience, and the exchange audience
members create between one another. All that said, we’ve outlined the typical theatre forms for
different performance types.
There are many different types of theater arts, including drama, musical performance, and dance.
Some types, such as musical theater, use a combination of several elements to create a dynamic
performance. The creation and performance of these arts often relies not only on the performance of
the principal actors, singers, or dancers, but also on the work of many professionals rarely seen on
stage.

Drama is one of the best known types of theater arts, and includes the performance of plays or
material improvised by actors. A staple of many cultures, drama evolved from religious or ceremonial
activities to become a fundamental means of entertainment, storytelling, and education. Modern
dramatic performance can include the revival of plays written thousands of years ago, as well as
works created by modern playwrights. Improvisational theater differs from classical drama in that the
performers make up the story, characters, and lines as they perform, often for humorous effect.
The live performance of music, such as singing or playing instruments for an audience, is another
important genre in theater arts. Vocal performance often includes aspects of acting as well as
technical performance, since the singer often tries to engage the audience in the story or meaning of
the song. Bands, choirs, orchestras, and solo musicians engage in theatrical arts when they perform
their work for the appreciation of an audience. Improvisational performance can also be found in this
realm of theater arts, especially in music styles such as jazz, where improvised variations on a stated
musical theme are a common staple of performance.

Dance is another major genre of theater arts, allowing the performers to use their bodies as the
medium to express their art. Dance performance comes in many different forms, from the re-
enactment of famous choreographed ballets to highly competitive ballroom dance tournaments.
Dance performance may include individual routines by solo dancers, or collaborative dances that
require several or even dozens of dancers sharing the stage at once.

Many forms of theatrical performance borrow from these three major traditions to create multi-
dimensional performances. Modern musical theater, for instance, usually incorporates an acted story
as well as songs and dances. Opera typically combines acting and song; in some operas all of the
action may be sung and acted out simultaneously, while others have separate periods of song and
spoken dialogue.

A great deal of the creation of theatrical performance involves artists and craftsman who do not
actually take a visible part in the live presentation. Set designers, for instance, create the backgrounds
and locations for a performance in a theater, but the finished set, rather than the designer, is what is
seen on stage. Similarly, lighting and sound professionals make theater arts performances both visible
and audible, but tend to conduct their work in hidden locations offstage. While designers, technicians,
and stage workers may not get the visible recognition of onstage performers, their collaborative
efforts are no less critical to nearly every type of theatrical performance.

Theater for development can also be defined as a progression from less interactive theatre forms to a
more dialogical process, where theatre is practiced with the people or by the people as a way of
empowering communities, listening to their concerns, and then encouraging them to voice and solve
their own problems.
For Kabaso Sydney (2013) as reflected in "Theatre for Development in Zambia" is defined as "modes
of theatre whose objective is to disseminate messages, or to conscientize communities about their
objective social political situation" (1993:48). And Penina Mlama, referring to the enterprise as
Popular Theatre, describes its aims briefly as follows:

It aims to make the people not only aware of but also active participants in the development process
by expressing their viewpoints and acting to better their conditions. Popular theatre is intended to
empower the common man with a critical consciousness crucial to the struggle against the forces
responsible for his poverty. (1991:67)

Theatre for Development can be a kind of participatory theatre, that encourages improvisation and
audience members to take roles in the performance, or can be fully scripted and staged, with the
audience observing. Many theatre of development productions are a mix of the two. "Theatre of the
Oppressed", a technique created by Augusto Boal is a form of community-based theatre.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations and initiatives have used theatre as a development tool:
for education or propaganda, as therapy, as a participatory tool, or as an exploratory tool in
development. An account of an early use of theatre of development is the thesis Theater as a Means
of Moral Education and Socialization in the Development of Nauvoo, Illinois, 1839-1845, which
recounts how theater was used to promote ideological and civil development in a religious
community in the US (Hurd 2004).

In usual performances there are actors on stage and spectators who watch the play. With ‘usual plays’
it is meant the Eurocentric way that was long seen as the only ‘right’ way to do theatre all over the
world, especially by the former European rulers of colonized countries. In e.g. African or Asian
countries different forms of theatre were and still are very common in the sense of bringing
information to the people in an oral way. Thus, different theatre traditions developed worldwide and
re-lived in colonized countries after independence, whilst in rural areas they were even common
during colonization. By now these times are over, and development communication got a very
important topic, thus it seems perfect to make up still living traditions through participative theatre
methods. First of all it is very important for actors and organisers of the performance or theatre of
development project to get to know the society and the problems people face. Therefore, the play that
is going to be performed and worked with has to be developed with local people, who know cultural
behaviors and social problems of the society. Moreover, it is very helpful to have local authority
persons and opinion leaders in the team of a theatre of development project, whom the regional
society listens to and trusts. In this way it is even possible to take advantage of the knowledge that
locals have about best dates for performances or even to advertise for the ongoing theatre of
development performance.

In theatre of development programs the EEE BAYE performance is mostly played on a community
(or gathering) place, but randomly on a stage. In forum theatre the scene acted out shows one ore
even more problems the audience faces on their daily routine. Afterwards forum theatre is explained
to the audience by another person of the team and the scene will be shown again. This second and
even third, fourth, fifth etc. time, one person after another from the audience can stop the play
wherever she or he think it’s suitable and come into the scene. Spectators become so called "spect-
actors", whereas the replaced actor steps back. Through being part of the scene participating people
dive into the situation performed, what makes the whole topic feel more real for the person who came
in to change the situation. Thus, it is an alternative way of problem solving, where creativity is asked
for and different approaches are tried. Forum theatre functions as ‘a rehearsal for reality’, like
Augusto Boal used to call it.

The plays are performed to build awareness about critical topics which are mostly within a political or
developmental context, often using an agitprop style. Especially in oppressive regimes it is not
possible to perform political plays, as they will be prohibited from the very beginning on or the
revolutionists become prisoners. A lot of creativity is asked for writing and performing a politically
critical play that is a very important feature of theatre of development methods. Besides political
issues common topics are non-formal education, hygiene, disposal of sewage, environment, women's
rights, child abuse, prostitution, street children, health education, HIV/AIDS, literacy etc. Methods
like e.g. 'invisible theatre' or 'image theatre' can be acted in the streets, seen by people passing by.
'Invisible theatre' seems like a real situation to the audience, which mainly functions as a thought-
provoking impulse to the people who observe the situation. Every kind of theatre of development
programme trusts in the strength of the word of mouth via people who face the situation, are part of a
project or watch a critical play. 'Invisible theatre' in the streets reaches.
REFERENCES

Kabaso, Sydney (2013). Theater for Development in Zambia. Zambia: Kabsy Digital Media. p. 20.

Theatre and Empowerment: Community Drama on the World Stage, by Boon, R. and Plastow, J.
University of Leeds. 2004. Case studies from around the world of Theatre of development D.

Theater as a Means of Moral Education and Socialization in the Development of Nauvoo, Illinois,
1839-1845, thesis by Hurd, L., California State University, Dominguez Hills. 2004

Enacting Participatory Development: Theatre-based Techniques, by McCarthy, J., Cambridge

University Press. 2004. The bibliography cites 22 books devoted specifically to art and theater as
tools for development, and an additional 16 books on specific techniques.

Amnesty International AI (2005): Ben ni walen (Let’s agree and take action): Mobilising for human
rights using participatory theatre.

Epskamp, Kees (2006): Theatre for Development: An Introduction to Context, Applications &
Training. London: Zed Books

Mda, Zakes (1993): When People Play People. Development Communication Through Theatre.
Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.