Perhaps the ability for theatre to influence social change is influenced by the availability of other entertainment or information in the society. Theatre as an agent of social change could be lost in the noise of advertising, cinema, television and the internet. Such is the beauty, and the challenge, of living in a democratic society. By way of contrast, the adjut-prop theatre of South Africa was influential because it met a specific need; it boosted people at a very difficult time in the history of their country, at a time where certain opinions couldn't be freely expressed. But in our so-called "Western" society, where affluence and democratic dissonance prevails, theatre reaches only a tiny minority, and competes with so many other sources of information that its ability to influence on a large scale could be seen as highly unlikely.

But theatre has a number of things going for it that other media don't. Firstly, no other art-form has quite the same immediacy as theatre; nothing has the same ability to reach the emotions than the best theatre. There are real people there, in real time, feeling, experiencing and sharing a unique and fleeting experience with the group of people who happen to be there at that time on that day. In this way, Theatre is no less than life as it happens. Secondly theatre when it is well done, responds to its audience, adjusts its nuances as only live communication can. Thirdly, it reaches a group of people who have self-selected. They have chosen to attend the performance for a reason. They are eager to be moved, emotionally or intellectually.

Finally, perhaps, most importantly, the ability to affect social change is not only about the audience, but also about the performers, people who have immersed themselves in the story. It is no accident that actors are so often at the forefront in lending support to social causes.

Learn more about this author, Jane Smith.
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