Conflict Theatre in Your Village! - Information communication learning KnO 100042_Community Street Drama

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Real life story

Conflict Theatre in Your Village!

Kachahari Theatre is a kind of interactive drama where the audience themselves direct a

performance about their own lives. In the Nepali language, the word “Kachahari” means a

village gathering or a place to seek justice. It refers to a traditional kind of people’s court

where villagers gather to hear and resolve conflicts in their own community. Kachahari theatre

attempts to create this kind of forum using drama. The first half of a play is presented by a

group of actors.

They go to a village ahead of the performance, observe and ask the locals questions about

their lives and the kind of conflicts with which they are confronted. In this case the actors are

people from the local communities that have learned some basic acting skills. They already

know the broad basis of the conflicts, but through informal discussions with people they learn

how such conflicts are seen and experienced locally.

Based on this reality, they put together

the first few scenes of a play. The

scenes incorporate aspects of daily life

in the village in which the audience

lives, and uses words and expressions

that the locals use. The play builds up

to a dispute that represents the social

conflict in which local people are

caught. A vigorous discussion takes

place when the audience is asked to

suggest answers to the conflict, and

the actors show the suggestions on the

spot. Various ideas are tried out and

their consequences shown. In some instances members of the audience come into the play

and act out their own ideas. The stage seems to provide a place that is safe to try out ideas.

Consciously or subconsciously the audience knows that the play is really about themselves,

but the world of drama creates a space where one’s imagination can be seen acted out.

Real Life story by kind permission of MS Nepal