Psychological, Behavioral and Societal Effectiveness of Folk Theatre in Highlighting Educational Development in Jammu: An Evaluative Study

Abstract

Theatrical productions have been crucial in empowering people to recognise their wants, rights, and responsibilities in society. This paper attempts to examine the effectiveness of folk theatre in highlighting educational development in Jammu. Public awareness and mass education about various societal issues are considered to be key components of educational development in this research. The research focuses on how people view education, knowledge, and information as tools for personal growth and societal development. It also illustrates how important theatre is for educating and raising public awareness. The study is based on experimental research methodology having experimental i.e. uncontrolled and controlled group. In the experimental group, a play was performed and audience feedback was gathered; in the control group, no play was performed, but audience feedback was collected. The play was in the folk theatre form of Jammu i.e. ‘Haran’. The paper focuses on the theatre audience and its impact on educational development. To determine the relation between theatre and audience, data was collected and analysed. Students from schools, colleges, and universities were the audience, and they provided feedback on how theatre has contributed in the educational development from time to time. The paper also highlight that theatre is an important medium of communication that spreads educational development and generates awareness among the people of Jammu.