This study posits a model of 'rural extension' which begins from humans, not from technology or information. The model has been used to facilitate community development at the village level. The research illustrates the potential of drama and participative forms of theatre as empowering 'action' learning/researching tools to reach people in rural communities, and as a means of involving those communities in creativity and learning about themselves and their environment collaboratively. The writer seeks to integrate participatory approaches with community development and human inquiry, humanistic approaches to education, experiential learning theories, and drama education theories and methods. The central questions which this research addresses are : 1/. What are the functions and the methods of participative theatre (as systemic communication) in the process of social change and development? and 2/. How can these participative forms of theatre elicit whole aspects of local knowledge, that is, tacit/explicit knowledge, facilitate learning and foster critical thinking through grass-roots participation? The ideas were formulated and tested through intensive field experiences with Iranian nomads, Iranian farmers, immigrant farmers in NSW, Australia, and within a number of workshops with different groups of students at Hawkesbury. This includes a critique of rural development in Iran, examinations of rural extension from a critical perspective, drama and theatre as process, learning and conscientization, personal construct psychology, systems thinking, learning through metaphor, action theory, Boal's participative forum theatre theory, and action research. Finally, the study explores drama as a form of systemic communication (that is, dialogue through a number of group activity techniques) / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)