photo Alex Marocordatos
STREET THEATRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
AN ARTS AND CULTURE TRAINING PROJECT FOR NEPAL
Ann Shrosbree was involved in a British Council training project working with Nepalese performers and community development workers. She workeed in partnership with Alex Mavrocordatos of the Centre for the Arts in Development Communications(CDCArts) on this three phase training which was particularly concerned with the Rights of women and girls.
The British Council in Nepal identified a need to introduce a participatory approach to street theatre practitioners to balance their tendency for performances to "lecture" their audiences. This top-down, message bearing theatre is typical of early practices in Theatre for Development in Asia and Africa and is still commonly practiced by local street theatre performers. While many of the NGOs that commission their work remain satisfied with this approach, most of the International development agencies have found that a more people-centred approach to development work is more effective in generating understanding, social action and change.
Phase one introduced participatory methodology. Participants explored their own attitudes to gender and made performances based on personal stories. These were performed in a local community in the village of Pharping.
Phase two followed participants to the regions where they were based and worked entirely within communities taking the process of research from the community into performances which reflected and played back to them their concerns.
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Small World Theatre Canolfan Byd Bychan Bath House Road, Cardigan, Ceredigion Wales SA43 1JY Tel: 01239 615952 Fax :01239 615835 e mail info@smallworld.org.uk |
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