Summary of 15 years working from 1996-2011

“Community Theatre”
“Community Theatre” has been a big theme for all these times and we have been searching for the meaning of this word. At last, we could coin the definition of “Community Theatre”. Throughout 10 years (during 1996-2006), Community Theatre has been expanding and covering part of Thai society especially, in Upper North. “Drama is not only for stars” but everybody or people in every class of society can own and experience it. This feeling is part of results from beneficiaries. Some of them are ignored by society, vulnerable groups, rural people, urban people, the middle-class, politicians, and foreigners. They have an opportunity to feel and watch more than 10 stories; there are more than 148,000 audiences (not including those who watch via TV broadcasting). Many issues are presented to the limelight and have tremendous effects to civil learning space; for example, drugs, AIDS, violence in family, gender, migration, ethnics, woman and child trafficking, and infringement of human rights. Participating in theatrical activities, life-skill activities and art activities causes changes in children and the youth; for instance, they volunteer to be leaders, they have self-confidence to think to do and to change themselves and society. And for those both children and adults including our alliances who take part in many types of trainings (more than 100 trainings with 12,000 participants) and Gabfai become part of creativity for society and they broadcast the ideas to other groups of people in 45 districts in Thailand. Gabfai has been travelling to many districts and there are more than 10 groups of Community Theatre’s alliances arising along our journey including Local Cultural Group who is responsible for raising campaigns in communities. All of these attempts are for creating peaceful and fair society.