Theatre for development

Forum theatre, one of the interactive theatrical forms developed by Augusto Boal as part of his Theatre of the Oppressed, begins with the performance of a short scene.Often times, it is a scene in which a character is being oppressed in some way (for example, a typically chauvinist man mistreating a woman or a factory owner mistreating an employee). Audience members are now encouraged to not only imagine changing the situation of oppression but to actually practice that change, by coming on stage as "spect-actors" to replace the protagonist and act out an intervention to "break the oppression". Through this process, the participant is also able to realize and experience the challenges of achieving the improvements they suggested.[2] The actors who welcome the spectator volunteering onto the stage play against the spectator's attempts to intervene and change the story, offering a strong resistance so that the difficulties in making any change are also acknowledged. By becoming part of the scene, participants dive into the situation performed, which makes the whole topic feel more real for the person who came in to change the situation. The technique provides an alternative process of problem solving, where creativity is asked for and different approaches are tried. Forum theatre functions as "a rehearsal for reality", as Augusto Boal called it.

Theatrical forms such as invisible theatre or image theatre can be performed in public spaces to be witnessed by passersby. Invisible theatre is intended to be indistinguishable from real-life, unstaged situations, so as to provoke thought or raise awareness among observing members of the public. Invisible theatre in the streets has the advantage of potentially reaching audiences who would never attend a workshop or watch a play.

It is very important for actors and organisers of the performance or TfD-project (Theatre for Development Project) to get to know the community and the problems its people face. Therefore, the play that is going to be performed and worked with has to be developed with local people who know the cultural behaviors and social problems of the community. Moreover, it is very helpful to have local authority persons and opinion leaders in the team of a TfD-project, whom the community listens to and trusts. In this way it is even possible to take advantage of the knowledge that locals have about best dates for performances or even to advertise for the ongoing TfD-performance.

Documentary Theatre uses accounts from documentary material such as articles, interviews, and public transcripts in order to create a performance that reflects upon specific events or movements in history.[3] This type of theatre can be used to educate the audience on the subject matter and it is often used to prompt conversation about potentially sensitive topics or topics that do not receive extensive media coverage or coverage in popular culture.

The Laramie Project: Playwrights conducted interviews on the people of the town of Laramie, took news clippings, and also journals entries of the townspeople in order to implement them in the script.

Gloria a Life: The producers of the play recreated archival interviews and TV appearances of Gloria Steinem and brought them to life on stage through the actor playing Steinem.

One-Third of a Nation: This play incorporates accounts from the crisis surrounding The New York Housing Department using the technique of the Living Newspaper.

Artists giving a talkback after a show

In a talkback, members of the cast, crew, and/or the creative team of a production remain after a production to host conversation.[4] Talkbacks are most often utilized in conjunction with any of the other techniques listed above. They exist so not only the audience can ask questions and engage with the art and artists, but also so that the audience can share their perspective on the work that was performed.