Aims of the Research:
In this study, based on my Masters’ thesis, we explored how a five-session Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) workshop fostered critical consciousness among gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender (GBQT) men in Singapore. Sixteen participants took part in either the workshop or a comparison group. Using pre- and post-workshop surveys alongside participant reflections, workshop transcripts, and a focus group discussion, we examined changes in four areas: awareness of inequality, egalitarian values, motivation to create change, and perceived support networks.

Key Findings:
The clearest quantitative change was relational. Participants who took part in TO reported a statistically significant increase in perceived support networks, while the comparison group did not show a similar pattern. Critical motivation also shifted positively, although this change was not statistically significant. The qualitative responses help explain the changes better. Through the theatre-based activities and dialogue, participants reflected on structural inequality, differences in privilege within queer communities, personal boundaries and agency, and their relationships with other queer people.

Importantly, the critical dialogue that entailed the TO activities were crucial — it allowed participants to collectively interpret what emerged through the activities and connect their individual experiences to larger structures of marginalization.

Implications:
Support networks may be part of how critical consciousness develops, rather than simply something that results from it. For marginalized queer communities, feeling seen, affirmed, and connected to others may provide an important foundation from which critical reflection and motivation to take action become possible. The study also suggests that the transformative potential of TO lies beyond the theatre techniques themselves – critical dialogue helps participants collectively interpret those experiences, connect them to structures of oppression, and imagine alternative solutions.
These findings offer preliminary evidence for TO as an arts-based approach to fostering reflection, solidarity, and agency among queer communities.

Read the full article published in the Journal of Community Psychology (2026)

Aims of the Research:
This study explored what happens when Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) is introduced with youth offenders who were mandated to attend a groupwork program in Singapore. In particular, I was interested in whether TO could support them to build solidarity, develop greater awareness of power and inequality, and have greater ownership over issues affecting their lives.
Nine male youth and three female social workers participated in a nine-session TO workshop, culminating in a Forum Theatre performance developed from experiences and issues identified by the youth themselves.

Key Findings:
Through theatre games, discussions, and embodied activities, participants began examining how power operated in their encounters with authority (e.g., police officers), including experiences of racial profiling and discrimination. Importantly, the youth had considerable ownership over the process – they identified the issues they wanted to discuss, contributed their own stories, shaped the final performance, and decided how those experiences would be represented. At the same time, I found that participation is not automatically empowering. Performing in front of an audience that included adults and authority figures also created discomfort for some.

Implications:
TO can offer social workers a creative and participatory approach to group work, particularly by creating opportunities for youth to build relationships, examine power, and collectively explore issues that matter to them. It may also offer an alternative to more predetermined approaches within mandated programmes by giving youth greater influence over what is discussed and how. However, we also need to think critically about what we mean by empowerment. Participatory methods do not become empowering simply because participants are given opportunities to speak or perform. Facilitators need to consider who controls the process, who is invited to witness participants’ stories, and how existing power relationships enter the participatory space.

Read the full article published in the Journal of Social Work (2024)