Investigation of Street Theatre as a Tool for Social Awareness in Kaduna State

Street theatre brings performance directly to public spaces, enabling dramatic engagement with social issues among audiences who would not ordinarily access formal theatrical venues, and its effectiveness as a social awareness tool in urban northern Nigeria merits local documentation. This study investigated the use of street theatre for creating social awareness in Kaduna North and Kaduna South Local Government Areas, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 street theatre practitioners, 6 NGO programme coordinators, and 25 audience members observed after street performances on gender-based violence prevention. Observation notes and practitioner-provided scripts were analysed thematically. Results revealed that street theatre performances on GBV awareness attracted average audiences of 60 to 120 persons per performance across five observed sessions. Audience feedback confirmed high levels of engagement and emotional response. However, practitioners reported interference from law enforcement agencies in 3 of 8 recent public performance attempts. Funding for costume and logistics was identified as a persistent challenge by all interviewed practitioners. Women constituted a minority of audience members (approximately 35 percent) across observed performances, limiting reach to the most vulnerable audience segment. The study concludes that street theatre holds significant potential for social awareness in Kaduna but operates under institutional and resource constraints. Recommendations include formal licensing protocols for public performances, NGO-practitioner funding partnerships, and female audience engagement strategies.

Keywords: street theatre, social awareness, Kaduna State, gender-based violence, public performance