Glossary of Terms

Applied theatre: Theatre practices used to address social issues, educate, or empowercommunities outside traditional performance spaces.

Assessment: The process of evaluating the impact, engagement, or success of a theatreworkshop, often through observation or feedback.

Civic education: Education focused on citizens’ rights, responsibilities, and roles in society, asexplored through theatre in the case studies. It is also a subject in the Nigerian education curriculum.

Collaboration: Working together with community members, stakeholders, or participants to co-create theatre projects.

Community: A group of people sharing a common location, identity, or interest—central tosocially engaged theatre projects.

Community engagement: The active involvement of community members in planning,executing, or benefiting from theatre workshops.

Conflict resolution: Techniques to address and resolve disputes or tensions during workshops,as outlined in facilitation strategies.

Cultural nuances: Subtle cultural elements, traditions, or values specific to a community,integrated into workshop design.

Cultural sensitivity: Awareness and respect for cultural differences and contexts in theatrework.

Curriculum design: The structured planning of workshop content and activities to achievespecific learning or artistic goals.

Devising: The collaborative process of creating original theatre pieces, often based onparticipants’ input or experiences.

Drama workshop: A structured session using drama techniques to explore themes, developskills, or foster dialogue.

Empowerment: Enhancing participants’ confidence, agency, or skills through theatre-basedactivities.

Ethics: Principles guiding respectful, fair, and responsible conduct in theatre projects, especiallywith communities.

Ethnotheatre: Theatre based on ethnographic research, reflecting real-life stories or culturalexperiences.

Evaluation: Systematic review of a workshop’s outcomes, often using tools like surveys orreflection sessions.

Facilitation: The act of guiding participants through a theatre workshop, ensuring inclusivityand engagement.

Forced migration: The involuntary displacement of people, a theme explored in the “GhanaMust Go” workshop.

Historical context: The background events or milestones shaping a community’s identity,informing workshop content.

Hot-seating: A theatre convention where participants question a character in role to deepenunderstanding.

Human rights: Fundamental rights and freedoms—a key theme in the drama workshops (e.g.,Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

Inclusivity: Ensuring a workshop is accessible and welcoming to diverse participants regardlessof background or ability.

Informed consent: Agreement from participants, given after understanding the purpose andrisks of their involvement.

Inter-communal relationships: Interactions between different community groups, exploredthrough theatre activities.

Leadership: The role of guiding or inspiring others; a focus in youth theatre workshops andcivic education themes.

National consciousness: Awareness of one’s role and responsibilities within a nation—addressed in the Moremi workshop.

Needs assessment: Research to identify a community’s needs, interests, and dynamics beforedesigning a workshop.

Participation: Active involvement of community members or participants in the theatre-makingprocess.

Peace promotion: Efforts to foster harmony and understanding; a goal in the civic education–focused workshops.

Playback theatre: A form of improvisational theatre where audience stories are enacted on thespot.

Reflection: The process of considering experiences or outcomes, often facilitated throughwriting or discussion.

Research-based theatre: Theatre informed by research, such as ethnographic data orcommunity narratives.

Role-play: Acting out scenarios or characters to explore themes or dynamics—a key workshoptechnique.

Scriptwriting: The process of writing scripts, guided by the toolkit to reflect community valuesand goals.

Site-specific performance: Theatre created for and performed in a specific location, tied to itscontext.

Socially engaged theatre: Theatre that engages communities to address social issues, fosterdialogue, or promote change.

Socio-economic factors: Economic and social conditions influencing a community, assessedfor workshop relevance.

Stakeholders: Individuals or groups with an interest or role in the workshop, such as leaders ororganizations.

Still image / tableau: A frozen pose or scene used in drama workshops to capture a moment oridea.

Storytelling: The art of sharing narratives, a core method in socially engaged theatreworkshops.

Sustainability: Ensuring long-term impact or continuity of a theatre project’s benefits.

Target audience: The specific group a workshop is designed for, identified through communityassessment.

Teacher-in-role: A facilitator adopting a role within the drama to guide exploration andlearning.

Theatre conventions: Techniques (e.g., still image, hot-seating) used to structure dramaworkshops.

Theatre Emissary International: An organization referenced as a key partner in the authors’projects.

Theatre for Development (TfD): a type of theatre that is focused on community for development purposes.

Theatre workshop: A participatory session using theatre to explore themes, build skills, orengage communities.

Thought tracking: Verbalizing a character’s or participant’s thoughts during a workshopactivity.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A UN document outlining fundamental rights,referenced in the workshops.