Ojei: Theatre Performances Can Serve

as Medium for Reflection, Empowerment

Sylvia Ojei is the Founder/Creative Lead of The Bamboo Theatre. She tells Bennett Oghifo that her organisation creates engaging performances that challenge perspectives, promotes social awareness, empowers audiences and viewers to become agents of change

What inspired the creation of the Bamboo Theatre, and what is its core mission?

T

he Bamboo Theatre was inspired by my late father, who was a theatre arts giant, a poet, writer and community builder. Watching him make an impact in his community through theatre and arts made me realise that I would take the baton from him. It’s no surprise that I went on to study theatre arts in the university, to address pressing societal issues through an interactive and inclusive theatrical approach. The Bamboo Theatre was founded on the belief that theatre is a powerful tool for social change, giving a voice to marginalised communities and fostering dialogue between generations. Its core mission is to highlight societal problems, particularly those affecting youth and the elderly and work collaboratively with local communities to find solutions. The Bamboo Theatre creates engaging performances such as forum and Broadway theatres, documentary films, short films and other creative productions that challenge perspectives, promote social awareness, and empower audiences and viewers to become agents of change. At its heart, it seeks to bridge the gap between performance and real-life impact, ensuring that theatre goes beyond entertainment to inspire meaningful action.

How does The Bamboo Theatre use forum theatre as a tool for youth empowerment and social change?

The Bamboo Theatre uses Augusto Boal’s Forum Theatre, to empower and transform participants and audiences in a safe and nurturing space. It uses this medium to transform theatre into a rehearsal for reality, where participants and the audience, through storytelling, explore different perspectives and solutions to societal problems while creating a safe space for expression of their thoughts, challenges, and aspirations without judgement. This fosters confidence, self-awareness, empathy and a sense of belonging, particularly for those who may feel unheard in their communities. Through this form of theatre, people can witness their realities showcased on stage and find ways to make better choices. This bridges generational gaps while fostering intergenerational conversations, breaking stereotypes and building understanding between youth and older generations. Participants and audiences realise that by using theatre as a tool for change, they are not just victims of circumstances but have the power and voice to drive change in their communities. Ultimately, The Bamboo Theatre inspires participants and the audience to think critically, take action, and become agents for positive change in their society.

 You just had the debut edition of The Bamboo Theatre Forum Theatre Show. How would you describe the experience and its overall impact?

The Townhall Theatre Show not only showcased an unconventional theatre but also demonstrated how theatrical performances can serve as a powerful medium for reflection, conversations, education and empowerment within the community. The youth participants’ growth throughout the workshop, audience active interventions, emotional reflections, and powerful conversations with the youth actors on stage suggested that the performance created a lasting impression and impact on the people present.

What were some of the most powerful moments or audience reactions from the three-day event?

The success of any forum theatre is in the way the challenges raised by the participant actors are thoroughly rendered, and understood by the audience. This process makes for a powerful and engaging intervention by the audience. The audience interventions were a pivotal moment for me, as well as for anyone present on the show day. Some of the guests even volunteered to lend their opinions on stage by stopping the play to replace actors and offer alternative suggestions to the challenges raised in the play performance.

For instance, a spectator stopped a scene to address and correct a father’s method of training his child, and alternative methods of training the child were acted out by the audience participant, and solutions were clearly stated which was powerful and empowering. This was a clear willingness to share personal experiences and propose solutions to the problems raised.

This powerful moment, as well as the other interventions not only validated the core mission of The Bamboo Theatre but also demonstrated how forum theatre can inspire change by empowering individuals to actively engage with pressing social issues.

How did the participants respond to the training and performance process? What transformation did you observe?

Although the youth participants were amateurs in the theatrical field, they were from the beginning of the workshop willing and enthusiastic about being part of the movement. For them, it was an opportunity to make a difference in their community. This was inspiring and encouraging to observe. Witnessing their growth, passion and drive, and their willingness to share their stories and be able to lend their voices to the challenges they face on a daily basis was a clear and pivotal moment for me. Unwillingness to change can often be a challenge for any workshop, but the opposite was the case for these participants, as they desired to make an impact and be an inspiration to their peers. In summary, the training and performance process helped in transforming the participants, a once shy and timid youth into an empowered, confident and passionate one, further, affirming the potential of forum theatre to inspire social change.

 The play tackled critical issues such as social media addiction, peer pressure, and education. Why were these themes chosen, and what insights did the performance reveal?

The play’s focus on social media addiction, peer pressure, and education reflects the real challenges many young people face today. These themes were chosen by the participants because they resonate deeply with their experiences and are at the heart of many societal issues affecting youth. In essence, the performances provided a mirror to the participant’s realities, sparking conversations about how to change the narrative while encouraging self-awareness, perseverance, and collective support in creating positive change.

Forum Theatre allows the audience to intervene in the storyline. What were some of the most interesting or unexpected interventions during the show?

There was a memorable moment when an audience participant stepped onto the stage and used her engineering and safety specialist background to convey the message of safety and risk factors in drug abuse and youth misconduct. To her, any action that can cause damage to the giver, receiver or their environment must be cautioned and stopped for good. This applied so well to the scene, because the youth actor and the audience participants, realised that certain misconducts not only damage the person (giver), but also can have adverse and ripple effects to their environment which can cause death and harm. Another intervention that stood out was an emotionally charged scene of an audience participant stepping onto the stage to critique her raw and undiluted expression of vulnerability on the issue of parenting. This shifted the energy of the performance, highlighting how personal experiences can drive transformative change. These interventions not only enriched the performance but also deepened the conversations among participants, demonstrating the power of Forum Theatre to turn spectators into active agents of change.

 This edition featured guidance from experts, including a communication coach and a neural change strategist. How did their contributions shape the experience for participants?

The decision to include expert guidance from a Communication Coach and a Neural Change Strategist enriched the participants experience in so many ways. Our youth participants were predominantly in secondary school. We are aware that most times, there are no slots in schools to coach students on basic life hacks. Therefore, our strategy to offer these youths coaching sessions helped participants express themselves clearly and listen actively.

This guidance was invaluable during rehearsals, allowing for smoother connections with the characters that they were meant to portray in the play, the message being passed on, and also a deeper reflection of who they were and what their purpose for the show was – to be a voice and make sure that their messages were passed and understood by the audience while reflecting growth first to themselves and then to the audience. This ultimately deepened the dialogue and empathy among everyone involved. While the Neural Change Strategist introduced concepts from neuroscience that explained how habits and thought patterns are formed, the Communications coach highlighted the urgent need for youths to understand their purpose in life, how best to communicate their message to bring transformation, and then make use of their voices to advocate for change in their communities. By linking these ideas to the performance, participants gained a practical framework for understanding how interventions—both on stage and in everyday life—can create lasting dynamics in behaviour. This scientific perspective added depth to the process of re-imagining conflict resolution and personal transformation. In summary, the experts’ contributions were pivotal in transforming the event from a mere performance into a comprehensive learning experience, equipping participants with both the emotional and cognitive tools to drive positive change in their lives.

What led you to theatre as a tool for social change? Was there a defining moment in your life that pushed you in this direction?

While I was completing my Master’s degree in the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, I was opportune to solely facilitate an elderly-based forum theatre workshop for my final thesis. My research was on affirming how theatre can be used as a tool to improve the issues of isolation and stereotypes amongst the elderly in the UK. I worked with elderly participants (from ages 65 years up to 85 years of age). Many of them were living in the Old Peoples’ Home, frail, slightly deaf, and inactive. Their growth and the way my adapted forum games and exercises made them become more dynamic – even as far as just a clap a nod, or a smile, made these elderly participants active in participation and all together made them feel needed in their community. They were able to reflect, discuss and act out these clear challenges they faced, and the result was engaging and powerful. Their post-evaluation suggested growth and a deeper realization of their impact in society and how best they could enjoy and transfer their knowledge and experiences to the younger generation without prejudice and stereotypes. At the end, engaging in forum theatre made them more aware, less isolated and stereotyped, integrated and respected. The way these elderly individuals from diverse backgrounds began sharing their struggles and ideas for change was a revelation. It made me realize that theatre isn’t just about performance—it’s a dynamic space for reimagining our world and tackling real issues through collective creativity.

What are the next steps for the bamboo theatre? Are there plans to expand to more communities or schools?

Of course, we have more exciting and refreshing plans. Unfortunately, I am not able to make it known to the public until we are fully set and ready. But once we are all set, we will share the news to the public.

How can individuals, organisations, or policymakers support The Bamboo Theatre in reaching more young people?

Donations, grants, and sponsorships would enable The Bamboo Theatre to develop tailored workshops and performances for different communities, while collaborations with educational institutions and community centers would allow for more impactful, on-ground initiatives. Additionally, policymakers can play a role by creating frameworks that fund and recognise arts-based community programs, further strengthening our mission to empower the young and elderly.