Collective Encounters’ Third Age Theatre performing at In Our Times, 2012 (Photo: Ged Flemming). An older woman in a high visibility jacket speaking into a megaphone and leading a group of women of a similar age holding up placards.
Sole Purpose’s Galatea, 2011. A young man in a red hoodie with short hair stands over another young man sat against a brick wall on stage, mid-dialogue.

The short read
What is Theatre for Social Change? by Sarah Thornton gives a short introduction into how Collective Encounters defines this area of practice. (free download)

The long read
Sarah Thornton’s From the Personal to the Political: Theatre for Social Change in the 21st Century with particular reference to the work of Collective Encounters: A review of the Literature gives a comprehensive analysis of TFSC and the writing that informs the work.

As its name suggests, Theatre for Social Change (TFSC) specifically intends to contribute to social/political change. It grows out of the communities it serves (either communities of geography or experience) and involves them ethically in shaping, and usually performing, the work.  It places equal emphasis on the creative and the social – so theatre makers work closely with social sector organisations to try and ensure strategic impact. TFSC seeks to raise awareness of the social and political issues impacting communities, and to draw attention to the structures and policies that underpin people’s lived experience, with an aim of provoking positive action. Collective Encounters was one of the first companies in the UK to adopt this term to describe their practice, but many others embed it in their approach.