From, For & About the People – Community Theatre Today

It is because, back in the days, the apartheid government did not approve of it because it empowered the oppressed communities to resist against the government’s oppression. Local people were liberated by community theatre.

Even before colonization, communities had stories they shared about themselves. These were told through songs, traditional dances, rituals, and storytelling and they happened around the fires at night, under the trees, in the kraals, churches, schools, open spaces. It did not matter, even today community theatre still fulfils its purpose … but to what degree? Because the living state of community theatre artists and the community art spaces reflect dire predictions. It is a serious cry for intervention.

Where and when did your involvement in Community Theatre start?

Mabunda: Growing up, community theatre was part of our everyday living, our culture. I remember at some point, I joined a community theatre group because I was fascinated by the idea of appearing on television one day. At the time, that was the only dream, especially when growing up in communities without any people to look up to. The only reference was the screen, especially acting. When I joined a community theatre group, I was taken by the confidence of the group to confront societal issues.

What made you want to focus on community theatre for your research?

Mabunda: I have been a community theatre practitioner for over a decade and through this long experience, I have seen community theatre artists perish to other industries. Nowadays, you find community theatre artists working in retail companies because the art they do fails to provide for their livelihoods.

As a cultural producer at the grassroots level, I have been frustrated by the injustices faced by the community theatre, especially the funding and its overall recognition in the sector. There is a diminishing approach to community theatre. For me, it is important to shift that perspective and secure the fate of my practice (community theatre) in South African grassroots communities.

Let´s have a look at your research: What is the concrete focus of your research?

Mabunda: The focus of my research was to understand how community theatre survives in local communities while being expected to meet the governments value expectations. I needed to understand the strategies employed by community theatre artists to get the government’s attention. As a result, performances were designed to unpack the social ills of the communities and challenges faced by community theatre artists.

[...] community theatre can be used as a tool to respond to the painful histories of oppression.  

The performances also gave the audience the opportunity to discuss and explore possible solutions to the addressed social ills and challenges faced by German and South African community theatre artists. 

How did you approach your research?

Mabunda: Firstly, I needed to understand the socio-political and historical context of community theatre in Baden-Wurttemberg. I read books, conducted interviews, and attended community theatre programs. I also performed myself, which gave me the opportunity to be part of the creation process and understand the choices made, which influenced what stories and themes the German local communities wanted to see represented on the stage.

At some point, I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of information I had gathered by attending almost every community art initiative in Stuttgart. However, the consultations with the team at ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehugnen) were helpful to distil all that information. I am choosing to say ‘the team’ because almost everyone was involved throughout the process. I would literally ask every now and then, whether I bump into anyone of them in the kitchen or corridor, ‘Please remind me again, what is my research about?’. In all essence, the process was a collective teamwork and participatory which helped me get deeper insights of community theatre.

Secondly, Germany has diverse residents, including immigrants and international communities. However, it is rare to find such diversity in the German community theatre scene. This problem is sadly not only in community theatre, but the mainstream theatre is also failing to reflect the current society. I think, community theatre with its flexibility of not being confined to its four walls, can reach out to international and immigrant communities, especially people of colour and not only as participants, but as performers, directors, and stage crews.

Lastly, I have come to realize that some issues still make the Germans uncomfortable. One cannot easily raise conversations about racism or the holocaust without being made to feel like they have done something wrong. I think, community theatre is a platform that German communities can start to explore to open conversations, not just about music, food or dance but critical conversations about the status quo.