Every issue of Footsteps brings new challenges and learning. This issue has been a particularly interesting one to put together. I’ve always been aware of how enjoyable role play can be to watch. In recent years I’ve realised, too, how gifted ordinary people can be at using role play. This issue has given me a new awareness of the power of using theatre to encourage understanding about all kinds of development issues.
Acting out development issues can provide a very powerful tool for communicating information and can challenge our attitudes and behaviour. The use of theatre builds upon local culture and traditions such as travelling theatre, story-telling, puppet shows, mimes, songs, dance and riddles. The audience can be involved in the performance in all kinds of ways – through discussion, participating in the acting, deciding what should happen next, planning new scenes or in planning advocacy action in response. Involvement with the audience is what distinguishes the term theatre from other terms, such as drama or role play. This is why we have used this term throughout the issue. We hope all of you will be encouraged to consider how to include the use of theatre and culture in your work. Teachers will be particularly interested to hear of the way in which the PAX project used children’s imagination as a resource.
Isabel Carter