Theatre for development (TfD) is a type of community-based or interactive theatre practice that aims to promote civic dialogue and engagement. Theatre for development can be a kind of participatory theatre that encourages improvisation and allows audience members to take roles in the performance, or it can be fully scripted and staged, with the audience simply observing. Many productions are a blend of the two. The Theatre of the Oppressed, an influential collection of theatrical forms developed by Augusto Boal in the 1970s, aims to create dialogue and interaction between audience and performer as a means of promoting social and political change. Hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations and initiatives have used theatre as a development tool: for education or propaganda, as therapy, as a participatory tool, or as an exploratory tool in development. Definitions and aims Theatre for development can be seen as a progression from less interactive theatre forms to a more dialogical process, where theatre is practiced with the people or by the people as a way of empowering communities, listening to their concerns, and then encouraging them to voice and solve their own problems. For Kabaso Sydney (2013), as reflected in Theatre for Development in Zambia, the term describes "modes of theatre whose objective is to disseminate messages, or to conscientize communities about their objective social political situation" (1993:48). Penina Mlama, referring to the enterprise as "popular theatre", summarizes its aims as follows: "…it aims to make the people not only aware of but also active participants in the development process by expressing their viewpoints and acting to better their conditions. Popular theatre is intended to empower the common man with a critical consciousness crucial to the struggle against the forces responsible for his poverty." (1991:67) Theatre for development may encompass any of the following live performance types: spoken-word drama or comedy; music, singing and/or dance; movement without sound (mime); participatory or improvisational techniques; and/or the Living Newspaper. Subject matter Theatre for development typically endeavors to build awareness about critical topics within a political or developmental context, often using an agitprop style. Especially in oppressive regimes, it may not be safe or possible to perform overtly political plays. Apart from political issues, common topics are non-formal education, hygiene, disposal of sewage, environment, women's rights, child abuse, prostitution, street children, health education, HIV/AIDS, literacy, etc. Techniques Developmental theatre can utilize one or more of the following techniques