We Offer a variety of activities of which we may add or remove in the future, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Training
Fostering critical thinking and sound decision-making for own Drama Pioneer group.
In the First School Term of each year, we train the group of young people who will participate as leaders during that year.
The core group consists of about 30 people from the 4 clubs, some of whom has been with Drama for Change for a while. Every year about 8 to 10 Drama Pioneers leave for study, work or other reasons, while the same number of new ones.
Drama for Change (DFC) implements a robust training methodology developed by playwright Monde Mayephu, focusing on the holistic development of youth and empowering them to be a powerful voice for positive change in their communities.
Our comprehensive programme includes Building Blocks for Drama (BBD), which provides essential individual drama skills, rudimentary storytelling, and self-discovery through modules like icebreakers, milling games, mood, status, tableaux, character development, relationships, and conflict.
Pioneers also receive accredited Peer Education training to interrogate social issues and facilitate dialogue. Advanced training covers impactful theatre forms such as Forum Theatre (theatre of the oppressed), Physical Theatre (storytelling through movement), and Theatre for Young Audiences (Pantomime), with an introduction to Drama Therapy.
Additionally, Pioneers are equipped with project management, facilitating skills, and documentary filming to manage club activities and community outreach programs effectively. This training approach gives learners the skills and confidence to create their own plays and drive social change through educational and interactive drama.
Primary Schools Shows
Making the school environment safe and a fun place for learning.
Drama for Change (DFC) extensively engages with primary schools, utilizing interactive performances and workshops to address vital social issues relevant to young learners. A primary focus is road safety, with DFC teams delivering engaging shows, often featuring quizzes and clear, repetitive messages. For example, in 2024 alone, these road safety plays reached 8,922 primary school learners across 16 schools. Bullying has also become a significant theme, with drama/pantomime performances designed to educate and inspire kindness. In Groot Marico, the DFC club is working with a group of Grade 7 learners in an experimental effort to use drama as a tool to change bullying behaviour.
DFC primarily uses the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) method, including Pantomime, which employs humor, memorable principles, and archetypal characters like a hero and comic relief, to make complex topics like child abuse, bullying, road safety, and gender-based violence accessible.
Beyond performances, Pioneers also facilitate foundational drama skills with young learners to foster critical thinking.
Secondary School Clubs
Shaping future leaders and responsible young adults.
Drama for Change (DFC) has fostered a deep and sustained engagement with secondary schools since 2013, initially reaching a network of 17 high schools along the N4 corridor with road safety dramas and broader social issues. This early approach involved intensive training for learners and Drama Pioneers, who led workshops and after-school practices, often culminating in large-scale events.
A significant shift occurred post-COVID-19, as pandemic restrictions limited direct school access. DFC adapted by focusing on establishing community-based Drama for Change Clubs which then engaged with schools, expanding the focus to holistic youth development and diverse theatrical and life skills training.
Examples of DFC's engagement with secondary schools from 2022 to 2025 include:
• 2022: DFC Pioneers assisted three schools—Michael Modisakeng (Majakaneng), Leokeng Primary (Modderspruit), and Ikageleng Secondary (Zeerust)—with their drama productions, achieving competition wins. The Groot Marico club, in collaboration with Art Sparks, engaged secondary school learners in story collection, script development, and documentary filming.
• 2023: DFC actively revived and established school drama clubs in seven secondary schools, including Ramatu SS, Thutu ke Maatla SS, Michael Modisakeng, and Johane Mokolobetse SS. These clubs performed plays and facilitated dialogues on issues like bullying, teenage pregnancy, and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), reaching over 3,500 learners. Notably, the Ramatu Secondary School Drama Club's bullying play led to observable improvements in learner behavior. Pioneers also received training in Writing techniques, Character Development, and Physical Theatre.
• 2024: The strategic focus involved developing secondary school clubs to perform within their own schools. DFC adopted seven secondary schools with 117 learners, who performed plays on various social issues for over 1,330 learners. Examples include Swartruggens Intermediate performing a GBV play to 390 learners and 8 teachers, and the Groot Marico Club addressing substance abuse and school dropouts for 550 people at Thuto ke Maatla school.
This approach allows DFC to continuously empower secondary school learners, equipping them with skills and confidence to address critical social issues through drama
Community Shows
Giving a voice to community members to actively participate in the development of their own communities.
Since 2020, Drama for Change (DFC) has conducted a variety of impactful community outreach programs, engaging community members in addressing social issues through interactive theatre and dialogue. DFC has initiated numerous projects to initiate community dialogue.
Stakeholders like the district offices of Department of Health and the Department of Social Development, and SAPS, have played an important role in supporting the DFC outreach programmes, as well as DFC supporting government outreach programmes.
At the end of 2020, Drama for Change conducted our first Forum Theatre outreach in the Groot Marico Community. The theme was Gender-Based Violence, reaching 182 audience members with 50 participating in an intense dialogue, making use of focus groups.
Based on a master script (WEMEN), developed by the Drama Pioneers, with Monde Mayephu during the 2020 pandemic, Drama Pioneers performed Gender-Based violence Forum Theatre performances in different areas, including Dinokana, Swartruggens, Groot Marico and Majakaneng. SAPS has been a great support in participating in DFC initiatives, and also inviting us to perform at their own community outreach days.
With the assistance of the Groot Marico Biosphere Reserve and the Magaliesberg Biosphere, DFC gave emotional performances, using Physical Theatre to evoke the Groot Marico River. The Majakaneng Drama for Change Club performed a play at the Magaliesberg Biosphere NPC's hiking trail launch, highlighting the environmental harm caused by human abuse of the mountain.
Other outreach themes include:
• Drama for Change assisted Hammanskraal Community Volunteers to develop and perform their own play, engaging stakeholders to action regarding Child Abuse.
• Drama for Change developed a master script for a teenage pregnancy outreach (Baby Mamas) which has been performed to communities in Swartruggens and Dinokana.
• Groot Marico Club engaged the community with bicycle safety, and mental health.
• With the assistance and training support of Kgetleng Health District, DFC performed health-themed theatre, influencing home and fire safety. With intensive training from the Department, Swartruggens club also influenced the community in terms of ARV and TB medicine protocols.
• In a collaboration with Art Sparks, the Groot Marico Pioneers and club members developed and filmed two short films based on collected Groot Marico stories, which were showcased at the Bosman Festival for 120 people.
• Pioneers performed a road safety play in Musina, Blouberg, and Polokwane for community events, extending DFC's visibility beyond its usual N4 corridor.
• Other themes include sexual harassment and substance abuse. DFC has also been invited to perform motivational plays for matriculants to influence their choices.
Photovoice
Taking drama club members, other NGOs, youth, and community groups on a journey to become advocates for their selected social themes.
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Peer Education
Together with Bridges of Hope, provide Peer Education training to our Drama Pioneers (facilitators). Helping youth to cope with social issues in their own lives.
Drama for Change (DFC) heavily relies on peer education as a fundamental strategy to foster positive behaviour change within youth and communities, aiming to empower individuals with knowledge about risks and to advocate for solutions to various social issues.
Previous Peer Education Training and Partnerships:
DFC's approach to Peer Education has evolved through significant partnerships and training initiatives. Historically, Drama Pioneers, who are youth deeply involved in the program and demonstrate leadership, received basic peer education training from the South African Red Cross. This initial training was further enhanced by accredited Peer Education through Bridges of Hope, enabling Pioneers to conduct comprehensive peer education sessions with drama club members.
The importance of peer education skills for Pioneers was reiterated during the 2025 Induction Workshop, emphasizing its role in story development for drama, and in building self-confidence in Pioneers to facilitate these Peer Education sessions.
Peer Education Activities:
Peer education within DFC is structured to promote critical thinking and dialogue. The process involves three phases, designed to create a safe environment for participants. DFC integrates peer education into its Building Blocks for Drama (BBD) modules, where it is used to interrogate proposed drama topics, ensuring the creation of relatable and believable characters and stories that resonate with audiences.
• Phase 1: Identifying Social Issues – Participants are encouraged to openly discuss and list various social issues relevant to their daily experiences and communities. This phase involves group discussions, presentations of identified issues, and open dialogue. For example, in the 2025 Induction Workshop, this phase was used to identify "burning issues" in communities, leading to bullying being chosen as a focus for primary school dramas. In the 2024 workshop, the Bapong team identified "mine blasting and dust" as a community concern.
• Phase 2: In-depth Exploration of Chosen Issues – After selecting a social issue, groups delve into its causes, effects, and impacts, and then brainstorm possible solutions. This phase reflects on how Drama for Change can contribute to resolving the issue.
• Phase 3: Developing Thematic Understanding and Action – This final phase involves defining and explaining a theme, often as a question (e.g., "Is it right to steal from the rich to provide for the poor?"), and emphasizes objective investigation and a non-judgmental approach where "everyone is a victim". This encourages participants to research, understand problems from multiple angles, develop empathy, and recognize that issues often have multiple perspectives.
During 2024 and 2025, Pioneers engaged with schools in terms of bullying, combining Peer Education with a bullying shows (in primary schools) and engaging in dialogue with secondary schools.
Setworks
Helping Secondary School learners with their prescribed literature.
