The group from Jharkhand rehearses at the Thakurpukur workshop. Picture by Pabitra Das

Poonam Toppo?s family often receives threats. But that does not stop this 20-something girl from campaigning against dowry, witch-hunting and gender bias in her obscure village in Jharkhand. As a Changemaker, a volunteer who counsels villagers on their rights and against discrimination, Poonam was part of a 20-member group from Jharkhand that camped in the city last week to learn more about the medium of instruction ? theatre.

Organised by the NGO Oxfam, as part of the We Can campaign, the three-day theatre workshop sought to equip the Changemakers with various theatrical forms that merge messages with mirth.

At the Indian Institute of Training and Development in Thakurpukur, where the group stayed from October 26 to 28 and rehearsed from dawn to dusk, the task was to identify a problem, analyse it, write a script around that and then put up a performance.

?Our aim is to make people aware of their rights. Street theatre, story-telling and use of visuals are some of the areas that we are working on. Here, we are trying to let the Changemakers have a sense of space and directorial work,? said theatre worker Prabir Guha, who steered the workshop. ?The idea is to let people visualise a scene and experience the theatre.?

In Jharkhand and Orissa, a large number of Changemakers depend on street theatre to get their message across.

?We work on areas like domestic violence, harassment at workplace, child marriage, dowry and witch-hunting. We counsel villagers on these issues through theatre and various skits,? said Poonam, a member of Free Legal Aid Committee (Flac) that has taken the initiative.

?During the street performances, we throw up an issue, let the audience identify the problem and involve them to come up with the solutions. They also suggest the steps that lead to the solutions. We do at least two to three shows a week,? said Flac member and Changemaker Ajay Kumar, who has been involved with the project since its inception.

The street shows are usually followed by debates amongst the audience, during which they arrive at conclusions themselves. ?Around 10 people have joined us as Changemakers in the past month, having been inspired by our work. Our target is to create 40,000 Changemakers every year,? added Kumar.

Before leaving for home, the group staged a performance on the Rabindra Sadan grounds on Saturday evening.