Theatre as Resistance: Drama and Contemporary Social Justice

Abstract

Theatre has long served as a powerful instrument for social critique, political resistance, and community mobilization. This article examines the role of drama as a form of contemporary social justice advocacy, tracing the theoretical lineage from Bertolt Brecht’s epic theatre and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed to present-day participatory and digital performance practices. Drawing on scholarship from applied theatre, performance studies, and community-based arts, the analysis evaluates how contemporary practitioners have adapted theatrical traditions to address twenty-first-century challenges including climate change, racial injustice, and mental health stigma. The article argues that theatre’s unique capacity for embodied, dialogical engagement makes it an indispensable medium for advocacy in an era of political polarization and digital alienation, while acknowledging the ethical complexities and measurement challenges inherent in assessing theatre’s social impact.