Theatre As A Development Education Tool

Year Published:  1982
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX2614

Abstract: 
This booklet outlines the methodoloty employed in the videotaping of an eight-part series on development sponsored by CUSO in Winnipeg in 1980-81. It explains how theatre can be utilized as an educational tool for bringing life and immediacy to unfamiliar themes and topics.

A major problem of development educatin is that of presenting information and analysis on complex, serious problems in a form which is comprehensible and does not overwhelm or alienate the audience. Charlton contrasts this experience with that of a community group which is dealing with familiar problems in a collective manner. For her, the key is to link the unfamiliar issues presented by development educators with issues already familiar to the audience. Theatre often provides that link.

The theatre she describes is one that requires only simple sets and costumes, and need not involve professional actors (although most of the members of the series did have varying degrees of acting experience). The report details the type and amount of preparation required for a typical programme and briefly describes how various theatrical techniques were employed to create specific effects.
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