Performing Arts employs interactive theater to communicate important social messages. This type of engagement stresses the equal input of all parties involved while encompassing strong cultural traditions of teaching and disseminating important information throughout communities. AIDS Education in Africa Using Traditional Performance For two decades, forum theater has been used as a popular means of community development in West Africa and Kenya to bring healthcare and other social development messages to rural people.This two-way communication permits audience members to act out and hopefully internalize concepts such as healthcare, nutrition, sex and AIDS education, and family planning. Improvisational Exercises for Theater Exercises such as Telephone, The Scream, and Mirror, encourage free flowing interaction and expression through body language and interpretation of that expression to better act out theatrical messages to the community. Theatre for Development Source Book Included in this source book are ideas of how to create a theatre for development piece, from identifying a subject to be addressed, to post-performance activities. We encourage you to try out new ideas and adapt the ones here to discover methods that work for you. Wangari Maathai, An Inspiration – Curriculum Learn and share the story of Wangari Maathai, a girl born in Nyeri, Kenya in 1940 whose brother persuaded her parents to send her to school. She was the first woman from East or Central Africa to earn a PhD and, while department head of Veterinary Anatomy in 1976, she started The Green Belt Movement in 1977, when women from rural areas and urban centers were empowered by planting trees. Wangari Maatha with a long history of activism for empowerment, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Wangari Maathai Play – A Tree Grows in Kenya A play telling the inspirational story of Wangari Maathai, a brave, educated Kenyan woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her tireless work empowering women and supporting the environment. Written by Amanda Pressner, Holly Corbett, Jennifer Baggett and Irene Scher Youth Health Education – Theatre Guide This guide to producing your own play was created to empower youth to establish a community theatre group. Community theatre groups can serve as an educational forum for social and health issues while giving youth a way to express their core challenges. As a volunteer, your role is of a cheerleader and a facilitator; a person who keeps the momentum going through enthusiasm and encouragement. Remember that the main body of material and ideas must come from the participating community and to keep programs sustained well beyond your volunteer service, it’s imperative to help to solidify group leadership by consensus.