WISCOMP invites applications for a South Asian Peacebuilding Workshop titled Enriching Democratic Practice in South Asia:
Possibilities from the Field of Peacebuilding on the 30 – 31 of October, 2010 in New Delhi. Click here for details.

Theatre for Social Change

WISCOMP collaborates with trained facilitators who use various forms of the theatre to promote the teaching and practice of conflict transformation and peacebuilding. The intent of these workshops is to exhibit how theatre is more than a sum total of songs, dances, mimicry and props. Theatre is seen as a powerful tool for self-development, and as an effective form of communication to raise awareness on selected issues. Emphasis is laid on foregrounding the techniques of dramatic projection, how to use movement and space and voice to convey a message. A whole range of interactive theatre methodologies associated primarily with the theatre of the oppressed, such as image theatre, playback theatre, invisible theatre and forum theatre, have been used at different WISCOMP workshops to encourage a redefinition of empowerment and people’s participation in peace processes. In J and K theatre workshops have been organized to:

• Encourage the young to initiate discussions on issues that affect the lives of youth and young adults through the medium of theatre and performance.
• Encourage the young participants to look beyond their own personal limitations and beliefs and enhance their own confidence.
• Explore the possibilities of cooperation as a team
• Provide a forum for the discussion of socially relevant issues on which they have already worked such as health, environment, and domestic violence.
• Internalize and get a deeper understanding of gender issues and how this impacts their everyday lives, particularly in a situation of conflict.

Story telling and Puppetry Workshop with Samanbal Members, 2005

A story telling and puppetry workshop by Anurupa Roy was organized at Bijbehara to demonstrate how puppets can be used as a tool for social action. Many of the participants were involved in environmental awareness programs, village outreach projects and this new tool was greatly appreciated. The puppetry workshop also served as a healing and cathartic mechanism for the participants.

Theatre Workshop with Teachers, 2007

WISCOMP brought together a group of teachers from various schools -both men and women - for a training program on counseling skills for teachers. A module on using theatre with schoolchildren as a tool of catharsis and self expression was added at this workshop. Facilitated by leading theatre personality from Jammu, Balwant Thakur, the introductory module with its motto of 'creating everything out of nothing' demonstrated how simple exercises using movements and sounds and with minimal props could be used in the classrooms to elicit responses, create alertness and quickness of thinking and provide space for children to express their feelings.

Theatre Workshop with Samanbal Members, 2008

A theatre workshop with Samanbal members from Bijbehara was held from June 6-8, 2008 in the samanbal space at Bijbehara town, Anantnag district in Kashmir. The resource persons were Balwant Thakur and Anil Tickoo of the well-known theatre group from Jammu, Natrang. The workshop demonstrated how theatre can be a potential and powerful tool, a different kind of “weapon” that one could hold in her hands. The methodologies of communication - both verbal and more important non-verbal were discussed and demonstrated. Therefore breaking the myths associated with the term theatre, the workshop engaged the participants in a number of exercises to demonstrate how theatre could be employed as an invisible tool to generate conversations on a variety of social issues, thereby highlighting the employment of theatre for social change.