Authors: John Afolabi, Oluwafemi Alabi

This study repositions and articulates theatre as an instrument of social intervention in Nigeria, with attention to its capacity to confront social dysfunctionality. The study responds to the insufficient scholarly postulations on theatre as a practical mechanism for social reform and public conscientisation in Nigerian theatre scholarship. The study draws insights from Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed that emphasizes the engagement of theatre for social transformation and democratic engagement by breaking down the barrier between performer and audience, transforming passive spectators into active creators. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study is carried out through advancement of methodological principles towards theatre for amelioration of social dysfunctionality in Nigeria. The study establishes that theatre should move from restricted spaces to popular community settings, eliminate barriers between actors and audiences by creating “spect-actors,” encourage people to represent and solve their own problems through improvisation and participation, and focus on addressing concrete social realities. The study concludes that theatre possesses substantial capacity to stimulate public awareness, encourage communal responsibility, challenge social abnormalities and promote social reform. Hence, the study contributes to the fields of development communication and theatre-for-development by promoting the use of theatre as a participatory process for social engagement and transformation.

Keywords: Theatre for amelioration, Social dysfunctionality, Social intervention, Theatre of the oppressed, Nigerian theatre.

John Afolabi, Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Oluwafemi Alabi, Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.