Includes bibliography. / This thesis undertakes to investigate the nature and function of theatre-for-development. The objectives are to place theatre-for-development in the context of development communication theory, and to examine how theatre functions as communication. In the process of this examination a new model of theatrical communication in theatre-for-development, and a new paradigm of intervention, are evolved. The thesis begins by exploring the reasons for the failure of existing media systems to serve the needs of development in Africa. The failures are mostly due to the fact that the majority of the people have minimal or no participation in information generation and dissemination. Theatre is identified as one medium that could be utilized towards the realization of democratizing communication systems, and of giving the periphery access to the production and distribution of messages. The thesis then proceeds to review crucial literature in theatre-for-development and on development communication. The literature that has been selected has particular relevance in that while it treats current perspectives in these disciplines, it gives an historical account of theatre in Africa, and an account of the various perspectives and orthodoxies in the history of mass communication in general, and development communication in particular. The major case study of the thesis is a theatre-for-development cooperative society in Lesotho called Marotholi Travelling Theatre. The thesis therefore discusses the problems of underdevelopment in Lesotho. Since this study deals with-development communication, and attempts a structural examination of the context of theatre-for-development, the reader is introduced to the conditions that engender the theatre that is analyzed in the study. An account of the communication environment is also given. Because the communication environment of the rural areas in Lesotho is characterized by the predominant use of oral and traditional methods, popular and traditional media in Lesotho are also examined. After setting a theoretical framework by examining theatrical communication in theatre-for-development, and the rules underlying it, the thesis proceeds to analyze five plays created by Marotholi Travelling Theatre. First, a brief history of each play is given, and this is followed by an analysis of how the play functions as a vehicle for conscientization, and as communication. The plays are discussed in the context of five different methodologies of theatre-for-development: agitprop, participatory agitprop, simultaneous dramaturgy, forum theatre, and comgen theatre. It is in the process of this analysis that a new model of theatrical communication in theatre-for-development is evolved. The new paradigm of intervention that is posited also emanates from the analysis of the plays. It illustrates the extent to which the various methodologies of theatre-for-development can be utilized either for development (and, therefore, liberation), or for dissemination. The thesis concludes by focussing on the salient points that have emerged in the analysis. Crucial points are summarized, and recommendations for an effective utilization of theatre as a medium for development communication are posited.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University. / Bibliography: leaves 147-149. Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The Canadian popular theatre movement's refusal to accept one of the key binary oppositions that organizes Euroamerican theatre practice, the split between community-based and professional theatre, makes it a particularly interesting subject of inquiry for theatre scholars. This dissertation develops a methodology for analyzing this movement by approaching theatre, not as a unified institution or a series of texts, but as a mode of cognition that can overcome another of the basic binary oppositions of modern Euroamerican thought, the opposition between mind and body. Following an introductory chapter that situates the Canadian popular theatre movement in the context of recent Canadian theatre history and of other popular theatre movements around the world, a theoretical chapter lays the foundation for this methodology by exploring such key terms as "community," "professional," and "theatrical." It suggests that theatre is a particularly appropriate cognitive tool for building participatory community in heterogeneous social milieus. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 analyze three stages in the popular theatre process in these terms. Chapter 3 looks at how methods of organizing community workshops put in place particular forms of community. Chapter 4 explores the ways in which the dramaturgic structures of plays created by Headlines Theatre, the Theatre Parminou, and Red Roots Community Theatre are formed both by their creation processes and by their analyses of the problems in the dominant public spheres of the larger society. Chapter 5 looks at the specific contribution professional theatre workers make in focusing audience attention on key elements in community participants' stories. The dissertation concludes by suggesting that popular theatre events can be most fairly evaluated by looking at their contribution to the creation of new categories of thought through which we might publicly discuss and enact truly participatory communities.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-154).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 251-261).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from file title page. Lynee Lewis Gaillet, committee chair; Beth Burmester,Tanya Caldwell, committee members. Electronic text (189 p. : ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 15, 2007. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Cologne. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 304-315).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität zu München, 1931. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-103).