Political theatre: an application of its principles

Political theatre is more than a momentary expression of socio- political dissatisfaction or nationalistic propaganda. It can also be an instrument for community development, education and social justice because it uses a specific set of techniques as developed not only by actors, directors and playwrights such as Brecht, Meyerhold and Piscator, but also by teachers (Freire and Boal), therapists and community organizers (Alinsky and GATT-fly). In this capacity, it serves to involve the community and/or its members in their own transformation process and Its goal, empowerment. It is an application of Theatre that owes its enduring life to certain advocates/practitioners (Boal, Johnson, Kidd, Thompson) who continue to use these theatrical methods for personal and community enlightenment. This thesis examines the history of political theatre, then selects criteria derived from this examination to determine if the model, the Bamacle Theatre Company and {ts production, "Applescraps", meets them. Discussion of the model from the sociological perspective of a participant-observation study Indicates that the model failed to meet all the criteria and suggests reasons for the failure. Contrasting historical political theatre with the populistic theatre created by Barnacle Theatre Company shows that specific elements must be in place so that political theatre, as defined in this thesis, may emerge from the creative process.