Women’s Empowerment through Social Theatre: A Case Study

Abstract

The use of theatre beyond entertainment as a participatory development communication tool emerged in the 1960s in parallel with alternative and post-development theories. Social theatre, where social development is given more importance than aesthetics, evolved into a strategy for community empowerment. ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ using Forum Theatre, designed by Augusto Boal, one of the pioneers of social theatre, has been adapted by Jana Sanskriti, a West Bengal based organization of theatre activism, to bring about community-led action for social change at the grass roots. The empowerment of women has been a major focus, as severe patriarchal exploitation in these areas has curtailed their basic human rights. This article studies whether and how social theatre empowers the rural marginalized women of the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal to organize themselves through theatre based activism and negotiate for their rights.