Theatre and participation: A critical examination of Sherry Arnstein’s ladder of participation in the Kamiriithu theatre experience

Abstract

Abstract The article critically examines the framing process in Kenya’s famous Kamiriithu theatre experience through the hermeneutic lens of communicative action with the purpose of investigating the ingredients essential for citizen empowerment in theatre activities among communities. Sherry Arnstein’s ‘ladder of participation’, a framework that categorizes levels of community participation in development process, outlines eight tiers of participation, with ‘citizen empowerment’ occupying the apex of the ladder. Thus, using Arnstein’s ‘ladder of participation’ as a utopian framework, I ask about the extent to which theatre has moved beyond the level of advocacy. Participation is considered as both a verb and a noun; a dual reality that should inform theatre practitioners’ choice for the purpose of emancipation beyond the creative space and devising process. In achieving the over-arching goal of citizen empowerment, the theatre practitioner needs to position the people beyond the level of tokenism into partnership and empowerment by carefully mapping out strategies for citizenship participation.