"This article analyses the importance of participation in development discourse and examines the effectiveness of theatre as a participatory technique and communication channel. It considers how theatre forms and aesthetics have potential power to produce individual and collective knowledge and alter perceptions. It examines community as a unit of analysis and the role it can play in selfdetermination, considering existing power structures. It is placed in the context of Jana Sanskriti, which aims to help communities learn how to use theatre as a language for reflection, exploration, and analysis in order to articulate new direction and bring about transformation." (Abstract)