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INTERPRETING THEATRE AS A COMMUNICATION MEDIUM

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Theatre is not just another genre, it is one amongst many. It is the only genre in which today and every day, now and always; living human beings address and speak to other human beings. Because of that; theatre is more than just a performance of stories and tales, it is a place for human encounter, a space for authentic human existence. It can also be seen as a building where a live performance takes place such as a play or dance or a place where people gather to watch performances for relaxation.

Theatre can be seen as a variety of art forms showcased in and outside the building and is seen as activities that man engages in.  It is a conscious activity of man sometimes used to relate to specific activities of man with certain features of performance and worship.  Theatre is used to denote specific conscious activities (design activities). It is an art which encapsulate varieties of art form which entertains, communicate, educate and enlightens.  It shows the relationship between humans and the society, man tries to penetrate the deep mystery of life and consciously develops theatre in order to correct what is wrong, which makes man a gregarious animal.

The word theatre is also originally Greek, where the term is used to mean a seeing place. The theatre is therefore a place where we go to watch and participate in a kind of Fantasylife or imaginary life or world of elusion or world of make believe.  In other words, it is a place where we go to eave-drop into the life of other people. Theatre is also used to refer to events such as play performances which are organized for the viewing delight of the audience, as well as its use to refer to ritual, ceremonies and festivals.  The purpose of which may be or not be the delight of anybody or audience.

Theatre generally is that genre that gives room for participation and not just watching and hearing audience in a building or an open space, using this theatre as a tool to communicate and educate and not just to entertain is another exciting phase of the theatre among it numerous facets and aspects. It is very interesting to know that theatre can serve as a tool for communicating important life issues in our society.  We should also understand that theatre is a mirror unto the society, because plays, performances, dances, storytelling, folklores are part of the human activities in the society.

1.2       Theatre as a Tool for Communication

PARTICIPATORY PERFORMANCES

In usual performances there are actors on stage and spectators who watch the play with usual plays it is meant the Eurocentric way that was long seen as the right way to do theatre all over the world, especially by the former European rulers of colonized countries. For instance in African or Asian countries different forms of theatre were and still are very common in the sense of bringing information to the people in an oral way. Thus, different theatre traditions developed worldwide and re-lived in colonized countries after independence, whilst in rural areas they were even common during colonization. By now those times are over, and development communication became emergent as an important discourse, thus it seems perfect to make up still living traditions through participative theatre methods.

First of all it is very important for actors and organizers of performance or TFD –project to get to know the society and the problem people face, therefore the play that is performed and worked has to be developed with local people, who know cultural behaviors and social problems of the society.

Theatre for Development: This means live performance or theatre used as a development tool as in the case of projects of international development agencies. TFD encompasses the following in-person activities, with people before an audience: a spoken word drama or comedy, a music, singing and or dance production, participatory or improvisational techniques using any or all these. Theatre for development can also be defined as a progression from less interactive theatre forms to a more dialogical process, where theater is practiced with the people or by the people as a way of empowering communities, listening to their concerns, and then encouraging them to voice an solve their own problems.

Forum Theatre: In theatre for development (TFD), the performance is mostly played on a community or gathering place, but randomly on stage. In forum theatre the scene acted out shows one or even more problems the audience faces in their daily routine. Afterwards forum theatre is explained to the audience by another person of the team and the scene will be shown again, up to a number of times, someone from the audience can stop the play wherever he or she thinks it’s suitable and come into the scene. Spectators become “SPEC-ACTORS”. Through the parts of the scene participating people dive into the situation performed, that makes the whole topic feel more real for the person who came into change the situation, this is an alternative way of problem solving, where creativity is asked for and different approaches are tried.

Street Theater: Methods “invisible theater” or “image theatre” can be acted in the streets, seen by people passing by. Invisible theatre seems like a real situation to the audience, which mainly functions as a thought-provoking impulse to the people who observe the situation. Invisible theatre in the streets reaches people who would not attend a workshop or watch a play, thus the coverage of addressed people can be even higher and social change is another step closer. Theatre and drama is an effective tool to raise awareness and advocate for people to be involved (this can be logically linked to hand washing awareness).

Hand washing is one of the easiest and simplest practices to personal hygiene, but yet it is a neglected practice in Nigeria. It is a shared knowledge that most people do not consider hand washing as an important aspect of their healthy living, and for that, do not pay much attention to it. Hygiene is a set of practices performed for the preservation of health. According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O) hygiene refers to conditions and practice that helps to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases, whereas in popular culture and parlance it can often mean mere “cleanliness” hygiene in its fullest and original meaning goes much beyond that to include all circumstances and practices, lifestyle issues, premises and commodities that engender a safe and healthy environment while in modern medical science standard of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not vary between different cultures, gender and ethnic groups. Some regular hygiene practice may be considered good habits by