Roles, Impacts and Lessons-Learned of Gabfai Community Theatre Group of Chiang Mai Province in Using Theatre for Learning and Theatre of Empowerment between 1996-2001

Abstract

The research titled “The Role, Impact, and Lessons of the Gabfai Community Theatre Group in Chiang Mai in Using Theatre for Learning and Empowerment Between 1996 and 2021” aims to study the role and outcomes of the theatre group, as well as synthesize the knowledge generated from the group's practices. The study uses a qualitative research method, which includes reviewing related documents and conducting in-depth interviews with the founders, staff, volunteers, and former volunteers of the group.The findings of the research reveal that the "Gabfai Community Theatre Group" is a theatre group that employs the approach of "Applied Theatre" to drive processes and create change, focusing on empowerment within the community. It emphasizes creating opportunities for people in the community to participate in various activities, allowing them to feel valued, which leads to significant changes. These changes include attitude transformation and behavior adjustments on three levels: individual level, community level, and policy level.