The Atelier-Théâtre Burkinabé (ATB) is a Burkinabé

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

 theatre group which practises "theatre for development".

Overview

The ATB was founded on June 18, 1978 by Prosper Komparoré. Inspired by his Komparoré's own heritage, and by the forum theatre

Theatre of the Oppressed

The Theatre of the Oppressed describes a range of theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1960s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theorist Paulo Freire. Boal's techniques use theatre as...

 technique of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian playwright Augusto Boal

Augusto Boal

Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements...

, the ATB focuses on the participation and creativity of the audience. The audience are encouraged to take part in debates following the productions, where they critique the actors' performances and create different scenarios. The theme of the productions generally revolve around economic, social, technical or cultural development and are known as "social theatre" or "theatre for development". The group established a permanent headquarters in Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...

in June 1991.

The ATB is made up of volunteer actors, and includes children, who are taught by adult actors. Every year, the ATB produces about 10 plays in major cities, and approximately 30 forum theatre pieces in towns and villages. In 1999, Komparoré opened a centre for theatrical arts at the ATB for the purpose of training animateurs and entrepreneurs. They also collaborate with other theatre groups and organisations including the National Federation of Forum Theatre (FNTF).