RAISING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THROUGH PERFORMANCE ART

Theater for social change focuses on the dynamic relationship between theatre and society and sees itself as an agent for social criticism and/or change. Throughout the twentieth century, many developments in theater for social change (including educative theater, theater of the oppressed, theater for development, theater in education and activist theater) have brought attention to myriad social issues. Most recently, performances have begun addressing environmental issues as well. This thesis investigates the significance of environmental topics as subject material for performance art and found that the environment can be seen as a social issue that has recently begun to benefit from, and contribute to, theater for social change. Theater for social change can raise awareness about environmental problems we face and the potential solutions available. Four performances from the West Coast of the United States are reviewed to examine their place within theater for social change. All of the performances are found to be message-driven and community based and to incorporate a variety of theatrical methods drawn from other areas of theater for social change. In addition, methods for measuring the impact of a performance on knowledge retention and attitude change are presented