Throughout history people have sought to prompt social change through theatrical experiences. The theatre has moved the masses in ways that have frightened governments and religious establishments into closing down theatres and banning theatrical material. History proves that theatre which causes change exists and works, but it also proves there is no one definition or formula for this type of theatre. Depending on the culture, time period, issue, resources and people involved Theatre for Social Change takes a variety of forms. However, theatre affecting change does tend to maintain two common threads: the creation of a new work and the pursuit of the uncertain elements which will ensure the work affects change in its audience. With no more than two common threads, where does a young actor, recognizing a social problem and desiring change prompted through a theatrical experience begin his or her journey? How does one create Theatre for Social Change? How does one know the theatrical work has successfully caused change within an audience? If there is no certain definition, no one way to pursue it, what direction should one follow? Following Peter Brook's example as set in his 1966 production of US, I will create my own original work in the form of a one-person show and use it as the canvas to apply Brook's ideas and techniques. I hope to find that in order for an audience to change they must first be willing to participate in a performance, even if it is a performance demanding a harsh confrontation with an ignored social problem. Through this thesis I aim to prove that through an actor's personal journey with a social issue, the actor leads the way for the audience to be willing to participate and take the journey themselves resulting in change. My written thesis will include the findings of my research and preparation, a detailed rehearsal and performance journal, the original script of my performance work Knowing Fires and a reflection on the completed process including audience feedback. All of these elements will hopefully lead to a conclusive and useful approach to creating Theatre for Social Change.

Thirty-two students worked together for eight weeks to write nearly fifty short plays from which thirty were selected, produced and performed in a production titled Warning May Cause Irritation, inspired by the Neo-Futurists' signature show: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Nineteen students were also involved in the concurrent case study of the project and kept journals, participated in focus group sessions, developed scripts and filled out worksheets. Data generated was analyzed for evidence of student empowerment, relevancy of the work to student's lives, and their ability to work democratically.In the end, it seems the students enjoyed and felt empowered by the democratic process used to generate the final production and the result was an educative, relevant and fulfilling experience that may inspire some to continue working in the theatre and the students seemed open to continuing to explore nontraditional theatre projects in the future.

Theatre has always existed as a didactic tool to educate society about society's own successes, failures, and foibles. The theatre and theatre artists have attempted to take society's interpretation of truth and place it on the stage for all to see and experience. Sometimes, theatre creates and performs its own truth in place of society's accepted truth by re-examining pre-existing societal constructs and creating an interpretation of truth that better represents the current state of affairs as the theatre sees it. Therefore, theatre becomes the mode by which society learns, explores, refutes, and at times, even dismisses accepted societal truths. As a didactic tool, it is in this vein of truth-seeking that theatre has entered the fickle work of social change. First and foremost, what is social change? Who can create change? How is this change measured? How does one measure the effected change on a particular audience? These questions (and more) as well as their subsequent answers are the job of the social change theatre artist and are explored in this study. This thesis is presented in several distinct chapters. Chapters one and two examine the foundations of theatre for social change and its place in the contemporary theatre world. Chapter three explores writing theatre for social change and yields the development of two original theatrical pieces of theater for social change as a direct result of the aforementioned research complete with a stage presentation of those pieces and an audience assessment (before the performance). The concluding chapters explore the results of the audience survey which explains my understanding of theatre for social change's effect on society and the need for society to continually be exposed to theatre which is socially conscious and contributive in order to firmly define America's socially conscious theatrical identity.

Adolescence is a difficult time for young women. Their bodies are changing and they are being asked to conform to a new set of feminine standards if they are to be accepted (Pipher 39). Studies have found that girls experience a decrease in self-esteem during this time. They are less likely to speak their minds openly and honestly, which can lead to depression and a feeling of falseness. As young women attempt to comprehend this turbulent time in their lives, they often find strength through positive relationships with others as well as from their own knowledge and self-awareness. Reflections is a one-woman show that investigates the current challenges associated with adolescence. The play uses short monologues as well as songs from musical theatre repertoire to tell the story of three separate and unique women. The protagonist of Reflections is an eleven-year-old girl whose personality and sense of self changes drastically during the course of the show. At the beginning of the show, she speaks her mind freely and openly and is unafraid to express her true feelings. When she discovers there are consequences to acting this way, she immediately alters her behavior to ensure her peers accept her. When she witnesses her sister's strength and becomes aware of her mother's intelligence, she realizes she no longer wants to act in ways that do not reflect her true feelings. Her sixteen-year-old sister wants so badly to be accepted that she has begun altering her appearance in dangerous ways in order to fit in. Their mother is struggling to comprehend how to raise two daughters in a culture that does little to support and nurture adolescent girls. Reflections: A Theatrical Look at the Lives of Adolescent Girls outlines each characters distinct journey, using research and analysis to support their stories. In the end it offers advice on how to prevent young women from losing their sense of self during adolescence. This part of the document will present a companion piece to the production in the form of a theatre workshop. This workshop will give young women the opportunity to explore important issues in a safe space. Participants will be able to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution and can begin to investigate ways to challenge social forces that oppress them.

Le théâtre thérapeutique est une espèce de spectacle vivant qui augmente la sensibilité des participants afin qu’ils puissent améliorer leur habileté à exprimer des émotions et des pensées verbales et gestuelles. Comme genre hybride, il fonctionne de la même manière que le théâtre pour le changement social (TPCS) dans lequel la praxis théâtrale est utilisée pour le changement des participants et des communautés ainsi que pour la promotion du bien-être. Cette pratique (le TPCS) est donc utilisée pour le changement social, mental, et surtout émotionnel. Au cours de ces dernières décennies, ces deux pratiques ont été considérées et traitées distinctement. Contrairement à cette perception historique, cette thèse prétend qu’il existe un paradigme dans lequel ces formes se rejoignent. Appelé théâtre thérapeutique, il est beaucoup plus appliqué au Cameroun dans des communautés. Ce cas hypothétique est examiné sous le titre :« Pour un Développement du Théâtre Thérapeutique au Cameroun :enquête sur sa pratique et sa réception à travers une évaluation de cas. » Trois productions du TPCS/théâtre thérapeutique sont donc utilisées :The Boomerang, Ndop et SOS Village Mbalmayo workshops. <p>Le cadre théorique convoqué à cet effet est la sémiologie théâtrale telle que vue et énoncée par André Helbo. Développée de la pragmatique, sa sémiologie théâtrale est basée sur l’émission et la réception d’un message dans le spectacle. À cet égard, il existe des fonctions réciproques d’acteurs et de spectateurs dans l’événement théâtral. Ceci signifie que la distinction entre la production et la réception est tout simplement considérée comme une « distinction pédagogique ». <p>Le langage du théâtre dans sa production et/ou sa réception fonctionne dans un contexte d’expérience sociale partagée. Dans cette perspective, Helbo parle de « codes de spectacle (conventions spécifiquement applicables au spectacle, au genre, à la période historique), de codes généraux (linguistiques, idéologiques/culturels, perceptuels), et de codes mixtes (codes généraux fonctionnant dans un contexte spécifique de spectacle) » .Néanmoins, dans la démarche sémiologique d’Helbo tout comme dans ce travail, le privilège est accordé au dépassement de la division précédemment mentionnée, pour aboutir à ce qu’il nomme « l’énonciation collective » et la « notion d’observateur actant ». <p>Ces concepts dépassent le modèle de la communication linéaire évoqués par Mounin, pour souligner que les participants dans un phénomène théâtral sont impliqués dans le processus de création collective ou de l’énonciation collective sous des normes culturelles spécifiques. Dans ce processus, l’observateur représente une fonction spécifique, l’une des conditions de l’existence de l’énoncé spectaculaire. La notion de l’observateur actant « raffine considérablement l’analyse de l’identification initiée par Brecht », notion qui a été incorporée ou prolongée dans le théâtre thérapeutique de la même manière que le processus de co-création. Ce qui est central dans l’application de la sémiologie théâtrale dans cette thèse, c’est le postulat selon lequel le destinataire d’aujourd’hui deviendra le destinateur de demain.<p>À la fin de cette étude, nous montrons (sans chercher une reproduction du modèle occidental), que le théâtre thérapeutique est pratiqué au Cameroun. L’utilisation des techniques théâtrales favorise le bien-être des participants et contribuent au changement à tous les niveaux de la vie. Cette approche est orientée vers la communauté et par conséquent constitue un paradigme thérapeutique à visé communautaire nommé « théâtre communautaire à visé thérapeutique ». Considéré comme tel, ce paradigme peut être utilisé concomitamment dans le cadre de la santé mentale et de la santé communautaire au Cameroun. Dans ce cas, il sert comme une modalité thérapeutique intégrée et établit un lien entre le spectacle vivant, la santé en générale et la santé mentale en particulier. <p><p><p>Therapeutic theatre is an improvisational method of performing arts that heightens participants' sensitivity to improve their ability to communicate feelings and thoughts verbally and by gestures. As a hybrid form, it functions in the same way as theatre for social change (TFSC) wherein theatre praxis is used to change participants or communities and promote wellbeing. TFSC is seen as an articulated intention to use theatre praxis in the service of change (social, mental, and emotional). Tradition has held these practices distinctly for the past decades. This thesis however, contends that despite these historic perceptions, there is a paradigm where these forms, previously viewed as distinctly different, come together in a spectacle that is therapeutic and applied to mental health in hospitals and community settings in Cameroon. This hypothetical case is examined under the general topic: ‘Towards the development of a therapeutic theatre in Cameroon: investigating its practice and reception through a cross-case evaluation.’ This thesis is based on the analysis of three TFSC/therapeutic theatre productions from the same practitioner: The Boomerang, Ndop and SOS Village Mbalmayo workshop productions respectively. <p>The research is inserted under theoretical considerations of theatre semiology and particularly, André Helbo's semiotic concepts. Developed from pragmatics, this method of theatre semiology focuses on the manner in which a message is sent and received. In this respect, there are reciprocal functions of actor and spectator in the theatrical event. From this, semiology is applied to understand the theatrical phenomenon in its entirety: production and reception. This implies, the division between production and reception is viewed as “a pedagogical distinction” only. Privilege in this thesis therefore is given to the surpassing of the aforementioned division to what he terms “enunciating collective” (co-creation process), and the “notion of the observer actant”. <p>These concepts go beyond the linear form of communication in theatre evoked by Mounin to highlight that the participants in a theatrical phenomenon are involved in a collective creation process or enunciating collective under specific cultural norms, and the observer represents a specific function, one of the conditions of existence of the performance utterance (l’énoncé spectaculaire). The notion of the observer actant in effect “refines considerably the analysis of identification initiated by Brecht” and which has been incorporated or prolonged in therapeutic theatre in the same way as the process of co-creation. Vital therefore to the application of theatre semiology in this work is the postulate that the theatrical phenomenon is an act of interaction wherein today’s receiver can be transformed into tomorrow’s sender. <p>At the end of this research, it is proven that without seeking a reproduction of a Western form, "therapeutic theatre" is practised in Cameroon. The utilisation of theatrical techniques fosters participants’ wellbeing and enhance change at all levels. It is community centred thereby constituting a community-based therapeutic paradigm which is named "community-based therapeutic theatre". Understood as such, this paradigm can be used concomitantly in cases of mental and community health in Cameroon. In this case, it serves as an integrated therapeutic modality and bridges the gap that exists in the health domain in general and mental health in particular.<p> / Doctorat en Information et communication / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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Theatre for social change is a term used to describe a wide range of theatre-based techniques and methods. Through implementation of performance techniques, participants are encouraged to creatively explore and communicate various ideas with the specific intention of eliciting a societal or political shift within a given community. Through this thesis, I will explore the impact of applying theatre for social change in a youth-centered environment. I will discuss my journey as creator, facilitator, and project director of interACTionZ, a queer youth theatre program in Orlando, FL formed through a partnership between Theatre UCF at the University of Central Florida and the Zebra Coalition®. I will give specific focus throughout this project to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) youth and straight advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.