Community participation is an essential part of mobilizing for change. Participatory and interactive techniques are good tools for engaging community members. The Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) in Pakistan used interactive participatory theatre as a key tool. IRC has created a strong network of grassroots theatre groups. They created this alternate system for community participation and social dialogue. The essence of IRCs work is to use interactive theatre to trigger community dialogue. This method engaged direct community participation on human rights issues. Interactive theatre promotes social awareness and empowers oppressed communities to solve their own problems.

Photo: From IRC’s 17th Interactive Theatre Festival 2024

Since 2000, IRC has been employing community participation techniques, particularly interactive theatre. Interactive theatre builds social awareness and communal participation. Communities at the grassroots are largely denied the privilege of interacting and communicating. IRCs experience with grassroots communities has shown that interactive theatre is an effective way to share their views. Particularly the downtrodden and oppressed gain access through this expressive medium. They can air their views and communicate with the levels of society that have burdened them. Such a dialogue provides a means for direct communication not only to the oppressor but also the wider community.  As a result, ways for mutual reconciliation and communal uplift have surfaced.

Achieving Results

IRC’s proof of capacity to move others to take action has achieved results. IRC has performed in more than 87 districts of Pakistan. In that process, IRC trained more than 60 gender balanced interactive theatre groups. The network of more than 600 activists at the grassroots level continues to grow.

IRC’s use of interactive theater has resulted in a substantive decrease in human rights violations in a number of districts. IRC succeeded in taking up a range of challenging issues. IRC took up the issue of bonded labor in the interior Sindh province. This led to the creation of a special committee to address the issue.

Building the Theatre Network

IRC trains gender balanced groups. Often, core members of the group have suffered from the human rights violations being depicted in the interactive theatre scenarios. They tell their true stories before their own communities. The story of oppression is performed on stage. Members from the audience are asked if they agree with the way things have been done. Since the stories involve human rights violations, people do not always agree. Audience members are asked to come on stage and prove their case. In this way community participation is encouraged. This helps to find solutions to problems afflicting their own communities. Success from this interactive theatre process has won IRC acclaim both at home and abroad.

IRC’s initiative and experience provides a valuable tactic for others to glean lessons and ideas. IRC is making a difference in marginalized communities. This is where so many problems remain prevalent for so many years.