Assessment of the Effectiveness of Forum Theatre in Addressing Domestic Violence in Akwa Ibom State

Forum theatre, Augusto Boal's interactive performance methodology, enables community members to rehearse interventions against oppressive situations, and its application in domestic violence awareness programming in South South Nigeria warrants evaluation. This study assessed the effectiveness of forum theatre sessions in addressing domestic violence awareness among women in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene Local Government Areas, Akwa Ibom State. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was employed with 100 women attending forum theatre sessions and 100 women in a control group receiving conventional awareness leaflets. A validated Domestic Violence Awareness and Response Scale was administered before and after intervention. Forum theatre participants showed significantly higher post-test scores on both awareness and willingness to seek help dimensions (p < 0.001). Qualitative feedback indicated that the participatory format allowed women to test safety strategies safely. The control group showed minimal score change. Women in the forum theatre group who took the role of 'spect-actors' showed the largest score improvements. Two community health workers expressed concerns about the emotional intensity of some performance scenarios for survivors. The study concludes that forum theatre is significantly more effective than leaflet-based information for domestic violence awareness in this context. Recommendations include training community health workers in forum theatre facilitation, incorporating forum theatre into domestic violence response programmes in Akwa Ibom State, and developing local language performance scripts. Keywords: forum theatre, domestic violence, Akwa Ibom State, applied theatre, Boal