"The Seed That Sprouts Theatre": A Case Study of Theatre for Development in Eritrea

• Author / Creator

  Mehzenta, Yared A

• This thesis examines the Theatre for Development (TfD) initiatives of UK theatre practitioner Jane Plastow in Eritrea. In particular, it focuses on the Eritrean Community-Based Theatre Project, a project undertaken by Plastow in collaboration with the Eritrean government in the mid-1990s that attempted to use community-based theatre as a tool for social development in post-independence Eritrea. Drawing upon interviews with Jane Plastow and other participants in the project, this thesis reflects on the effectiveness of the ECBTP in facilitating the emergence of an Eritrean people’s theatre, as well as identifying key challenges that TfD practitioners face in an Eritrean context. Building upon these observations, it seeks to offer some suggestions as to what role TfD might play in the future development of Eritrea.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Eritrean theatre
  • Jane Plastow
  • Community-based Theatre
  • African theatre
  • Theatre for Development
  • Eritrea

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R32417

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.