The Place of the Audience in Cybernetic Theatre for Development: A study of Ebenebe Children’s Theatre

Abstract

Post modern revolution in cybernetic theatre and performance is a major turn of events in internet related theatre and film world especially, in area of audience, audience participation and information assessments. This situation turned the attention of TfD to internet. Giving the modern trends in digital technology and development in the world, stage performances especially Theatre for Development needs gain a new momentum. As a result of these, this research is an attempt to re-position children theatre for development through experiment by converting the skit into internet-based Theatre for Development performances that would cover a wider audience and bridge the gap in learning, social transformation and still offer another way through which children theatre imbibe virtual technology as a transmitting or broadcasting model using Live Streaming Application as a technique. Thus, the new theatre becomes a theatre performance in a physical and virtual environment with more people-centered-approach to social change. This evidence was noticed in theatre and films as soon as the cinemas, celluloid films developed out of the existing theatre and film forms. It on this background that this study has set out examine the impact of the mediated children theatre for development on the audience, their virtual connectedness and their physical presence. This research dimed it necessary to explore the colossal benefits inherent in cybernetic theatre by incorporating them into our target of social transformation and education. This paper is theoretically grounded on Varley Jamieson’s Cyberformance, the utilization of internet technologies to create performance for the audience delight. Mixed method which offer opportunities for qualitative, quantitative, participatory action research and content analysis were applied. The study discovered that there more online popularity as against the physical presence or immediate audience. The paper concludes that there is the need to meditize tfd to expand its outreach and audience participation.