In Creativity & Change we believe in the power of using socially engaged theatre to explore Global Citizenship Education themes and connect local and global issues. As part of our Hive, we have a Playback Theatre group and a Forum Theatre group. We also frequently engage with Theatre of the Oppressed methods and practitioners.
Through Playback theatre we aim to generate social change through the subversive act of deep listening in a time of sound bites and political polarization. We do this by creating space for the marginalised stories, the lesser heard stories, and the stories that just need to be told.
Playback theatre is a form of improvisation where the audience share personal stories that are then "played back" by a team of actors and musicians. We aim to create a welcoming space where everyone is heard, and community unfolds.
We perform and offer workshops every 6 weeks, often in collaboration with community organisations including the Irish Refugee Council, CATU, and the Cork Migrant Centre.
You can find more information on the group’s upcoming performances on their website or on Instagram.
Forum Theatre is a Theatre of the Oppressed Technique. It is a method of exploring social and political issues by involving the audience in the performance, allowing them to actively participate in finding solutions to problems presented on stage. The audience becomes "spect-actors" who can stop the performance, step into the roles of characters, and try out alternative actions to change the outcome of the scene.
We have three Forum Theatre plays: Algorithmic Justice, Gender based violence, and UnHoused: a play about the housing crisis.
If you are interested in hosting a performance of one of these plays, contact chriszine.backhouse@mtu.ie.
We have a Theatre of the Oppressed group, who work closely with field leaders, Julian Boal and Geo Britto from Escola de Teatro Popular (Brazil), Jose Soeiro (Portugal) and Sabrina Speranza (Argentina), as well as Irish and international Theatre of the Oppressed companies.
The group have recently established the first Theatre of the Oppressed network in Ireland, in collaboration with Development Perspectives and Theatre for Change, Galway. They also organised and hosted (Dis)Placed, a Theatre of the Oppressed festival delving into the complex relationships between people and the land they call home.
Through workshops, performances, and a trip to the Battle of the Boyne, this festival examined the theme of “displacement”—the experience of moving from, or being removed, from where one belongs.
In exploring connections between Palestine, immigration, and the housing crises, (Dis)Placed sought to spark local action from a global awareness of displacement.
The festival included a rich lineup of workshops designed to deepen participants' understanding of Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. Together, these sessions provided an immersive experience into powerful methods for analysing and transforming societal issues through theatre.
This hands-on workshop taught participants to adapt news stories into dynamic performances, dissecting media bias and highlighting hidden voices. Participants engaged in creating theatrical responses to current issues, transforming everyday news into a catalyst for dialogue and social change.
Legislative Theatre is a method for transforming societal issues into interactive performances that inspire political action. Participants learned to stage real-life challenges, encouraging audiences to propose laws or policy changes. This workshop empowered communities to address pressing issues and enact change collectively.
Through forum theatre with Ana Ni Lochlainn and Janna Lindstrom, participants created scenes of oppression and conflict. Participants learned the foundations of creating a forum theatre scene which can be used to foster creative problem-solving, empowering communities to confront real-life challenges with solidarity and resilience.
The festival featured two forum theatre performances focusing on the housing crisis presented by actors from Cork and Portugal, and Bassam, a compelling play on Palestine, performed by Fadl Mustapha.
A unique highlight was a group trip to the Battle of the Boyne site, inviting reflection on Ireland’s historical struggles and its complex relationship with land. This journey offered participants an opportunity to explore how these legacies resonate in Irish solidarity with Palestine and connect to today’s housing crisis.
By combining learning, reflection, and action, (Dis)Placed invited participants to move from passive observation to active engagement in writing a new narrative of belonging.
This festival served as a platform for dialogue, healing, humour, and empowerment, encouraging communities to unite and imagine new ways to reclaim home and belonging in the face of displacement.
The facilitators at the festival included:
Sabrina Speranza is a Uruguayan actress, educator, and social activist who has practiced Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) since 2005. She studied with Augusto Boal at the Centro do Teatro do Oprimido in Rio de Janeiro and has trained with Jana Sanskriti in India. Her experience includes TO work with children and teens in vulnerable settings, as well as facilitating TO training for educators. Sabrina focuses on Newspaper Theatre, and she has toured an original play for over five years in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal.
She has published in The Routledge Companion to Theatre of the Oppressed and presented at conferences worldwide. Her PhD research at the University of Birmingham explores adapting Newspaper Theatre for the digital era. Sabrina also teaches Drama History and Analysis and Theatre in Prisons at Uruguay’s Drama School of Montevideo.
José Soeiro is an activist, sociologist, and renowned Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner from Portugal. With expertise in Legislative Theatre, he has pioneered performances that bridge theatre and political action, empowering communities to propose and advocate for policy changes. Soeiro’s work integrates social justice with creative expression, inspiring audiences to engage directly in democratic processes. Passionate about community-led change, he has facilitated numerous workshops and collaborations across Europe, fostering dialogues on labor rights, social inequality, and human rights.
Is a Reflective (Community) Education and Development Practitioner, activist and one the founders of Theatre for Change - Galway (TforCG). She has been facilitating workshops across a range of social justice issues for over 20 years. Anne targets issues such as inclusion, poverty, Trauma Informed Care and system change through her work with Educational and Community Development, EAPN, IDEC and she also lectures in the University of Galway on the BA Child, Youth, Family - Policy & Practice. Anne has been facilitating Theatre of the Oppressed training the trainer workshops and been part of TforCG’s Forum Theatre projects since 2014.
Janna Lindstrom is a Swedish dramapedagogue, dramatherapist and actress, active in Galway, Ireland. She has facilitated Applied Drama and Theatre in Education since 2004 and is one of the founding members in Theatre for Change - Galway.
Janna has many years of experience within Youth Work and Educational settings, but is currently mainly working with intellectually disabled artists and actors. Her work concentrates on personal development, empowerment of the individual through creative processes. She has been facilitating Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) training and performances for and with professionals within Youth, Children, Social Work and Community Development through Theatre for Change Galway since 2015. She also lectures in University of Galway on the BA Child, Youth, Family - Policy and Practice.
A Palestinian refugee born in Beirut, Lebanon, a third generation survivor of the Nakba, living in Ireland for the past 18 years, married with 3 daughters. An actor and theatre facilitator, an activist, a part-time lecturer, co-chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, County Donegal Branch, co-chair of the Black Minority Ethnic Inclusion Strategy Implementation Group, County Donegal, chair of the Earagail Arts Festival, Donegal and a youth/community worker in the Donegal Youth Service.