During the second month of my Fellowship at Gramin Shiksha Kendra (GSK), I stumbled upon an experience that significantly shifted my perspective on social change and community development. As someone who had rarely experienced live theatre, I was unsure what to expect when the organization’s Forum Theatre group – Navras invited me to one of their performances. This invitation turned out to be an eye-opening experience, revealing the potential of art in addressing societal issues. When the young actors took the stage, I found myself drawn in by their performance. What struck me most was how effortlessly they managed to draw crowds and initiate crucial discussions on pressing social issues.
With each performance I attended, my admiration grew, and I began to understand how a stage could become a powerful catalyst for change. Theatre, I realized, is more than just entertainment. It’s a universal language that speaks directly to the heart of communities, encouraging relatability and prompting the seeds of reflection. Theatre provides a unique platform for self-expression, allowing both performers and audience members to explore and engage with complex issues in an accessible way.
Witnessing these performances firsthand piqued my curiosity about how theatre and social development intersect. I figured that the best way to delve deeper into this topic would be through a conversation with someone who not only possesses extensive knowledge about the art form but has also become a dear friend during my Fellowship. This led me to sit down with Rohan Sachdeva, a seasoned theatre consultant who has dedicated his career to harnessing theatre to help non-profit organizations achieve their goals. He does this by raising awareness, empowering villagers, and connecting artistic expression with tangible social impact. Read along to learn more about the power of theatre to effect change and a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into these impactful performances, as told through Rohan’s experiences and perspective.
Photo courtesy: GSK
Q.1 In what ways do you believe theatre can be an effective tool for raising awareness and promoting development in communities?
Rohan: The use of arts in rural and social development is growing rapidly. There are a lot of organizations that I have been working with that are incorporating arts-based approaches into their community work. My specific focus is on using theatre as a means of community mobilization. The form of theatre I employ is known as Applied Theatre. This approach involves using theatrical techniques and performances to address social issues within rural and developing communities. Applied Theatre serves as a platform for raising awareness, stimulating dialogue, and prompting action on important community concerns. It allows complex social issues to be presented in a relatable, engaging format that resonates with diverse audiences. As more organizations recognize its value, we’re seeing an increasing integration of theatre and other art forms into broader development strategies.
Q.2 What are your and the GSK team’s objectives when preparing to perform in villages?
Rohan: By using forum theatre as a tool to work with the community, our primary objective is to create a democratic, non-judgmental, and unbiased safe space for them to look at the social oppression that they are facing. We also incorporate local arts and cultural elements into our theatre, making it more relatable and accessible to the community. Our performances aim to provide a platform where community members can freely express themselves, potentially leading to a sense of liberation from oppressive structures. Another objective is to create agency in the community and empower them by raising awareness on the issues related to their basic rights and highlighting how education can be a catalyst for broader social transformation in the community. Forum theatre, by its nature, invites audience interaction and participation, fostering a sense of ownership over the issues and potential solutions.
Photo courtesy: Author
Q.3 How do you tailor your approach when working with different communities, considering cultural and social differences, and how do you collaborate with local communities and stakeholders to ensure the performances are culturally sensitive and relevant?
Rohan: Our approach to working with different communities involves a careful process of community engagement and tailored playmaking. Before deciding on a play’s topic, we engage directly with the community. We share our intention to perform and address social issues prevalent in their area and bring to light social oppressions that are often left unspoken. To do this, we talk to them at length and understand the kind of social issues that are there and what they are dealing with. We look at developing an understanding of the intensity of the issues. This helps us gauge the community’s unique cultural and social context. Once we have done the reconnaissance and gathered stories and case studies from community members during our research we convert it into a play. This grassroots-level data forms the foundation of our performances.
Using the collected stories and case studies, we begin the scripting process. We focus on narratives that clearly illustrate oppression, and where there is a clear divide between the oppressor and the oppressed characters and convert the story into a script of a play. This process, known as “scripting the play” in forum theatre, transforms real community experiences into dramatic scripts. The script is then rehearsed and refined. Once ready, we return to the community to perform the play in various villages. This method ensures that our performances are deeply rooted in the community’s real experiences and concerns. By basing our plays on actual local stories and issues, we create culturally sensitive and highly relevant performances that resonate with our audience.
Q.4 Can you describe your methods for fostering audience engagement during and after performances, and explain how you evaluate the impact of your theatre work on the community?
Rohan: We employ two methods to encourage active audience participation and to evaluate the impact of the play. The first is “jokering,” which takes place after the play. In this process, we create a space for dialogue between the actors and the audience, allowing spectators to share their immediate reactions and opinions about what they’ve just witnessed. The second method is a post-performance review, where we engage in a more detailed discussion with the audience about the play’s performance and their response to it. To evaluate the impact of our work, we conduct a comprehensive post-performance analysis. This involves revisiting the performance location after a few days and engaging with community members through questionnaires and in-depth conversations.
Photo courtesy: Author
We explore their reflections on the issues highlighted in the performance and what they feel about these topics. Additionally, we discuss their perceptions of how theatre and our performances might influence the community’s mindset on a broader scale. By doing this, we are trying to create a space where the onus of bringing about the change that they want is on them and foster a sense of ownership within the community. Our goal is to help them realize that bringing about change is not solely dependent on government schemes or our organization’s efforts, but also requires their active participation and initiative.
Q.5 What challenges have you encountered in using theatre for development, and how do you overcome them?
Rohan: Through the course of our work, we’ve encountered various challenges at both the team and community levels. In the initial stages with the team, we faced significant hurdles. Many members were new to the craft and had inhibitions about performing in front of people they knew or were related to in the community. Over time, with persistent practice, we gradually overcame this obstacle. As the team’s confidence grew, their hesitations reduced leading to improved performances and better community interactions. Working with the community presented its own set of challenges, with acceptance being the most prominent. Each time we would go and perform people were reluctant to attend our performances assuming we were a performing group that would ask for money afterwards and a few villages even refused to let us perform at first. It took considerable time and effort to convince them that our purpose was different.
Another challenge was the community’s hesitation to participate in forum sessions. Many felt their lack of formal education made them ill-equipped to discuss the issues we presented. Gradually, as the community developed a better understanding of our work, we saw them open up, actively participate in our sessions each time we came to perform, and even assist in gathering audiences for performances. This marked a turning point in our engagement with the community.
Q.6 Can you share a specific success story or memorable experience from one of the performances that had a positive impact on the community?
Rohan: One particularly memorable experience involved a young boy who had come to see our play on domestic violence and alcohol abuse in his village. After the play, he approached us, sharing that his father struggled with alcohol addiction and it bothers him to see his father this way. The boy was eager for us to return, hoping to show the play to his father. When we scheduled our next performance in that village, we informed the boy in advance. He was very excited to see us and assured us that his father would be there. A few days after the play when we went for our post-performance analysis, we had the opportunity to speak with the boy and his father. He shared that the play along with his son’s motivation, had inspired him to quit drinking. He also explained that instead of spending his daily wages on alcohol, he was purchasing household necessities and even saving for his son’s education. Such experiences reaffirm our belief in the potential of theatre as a tool for social change, showing how a performance can inspire personal reflection and create a ripple effect of positive change in the community.
Q.7 As we conclude, what insights would you offer to those aspiring to use theatre as a catalyst for change?
Rohan: The use of theatre in social development is an emerging and powerful trend in our country. Being a part of this process offers a unique opportunity to explore how local arts and cultural practices can be harnessed as agents of social change. Theatre provides an invaluable platform for underserved communities to voice their concerns and advocate for their rights. It’s not just about performance; it’s about creating spaces where the oppressed can articulate their experiences, challenge existing norms, and work towards their empowerment. For those interested in this field, I encourage them to dive in, listen deeply to communities, and be open to the transformative power of participatory theatre. The potential for creating meaningful, community-driven change through this medium is immense and largely untapped.
Photo courtesy: Author
A sincere thank you to Rohan Sachdeva for sharing his valuable insights and experiences with me. His candid discussion shined light upon the remarkable efforts being made to create positive change through the medium of theatre.
Reflecting on this conversation, it has become evident that theatre, when applied beyond conventional settings possesses a remarkable ability to ignite change at the grassroots level. This unique art form has the potential to bridge gaps, challenge societal norms and foster enduring transformation. When blended with creativity and community engagement, theatre can transform into a powerful catalyst for development and awareness. This serves as a compelling reminder that creative approaches like forum theatre have much to offer in tackling the pressing challenges our communities face. As we look to the future, it is crucial to incorporate these innovative techniques into our community-building efforts, not just acknowledge their potential. As we integrate these approaches, we can nurture a more engaged, adaptable and resilient society capable of addressing complex social issues collaboratively.
