Disaster risk reduction on stage: An empirical evaluation of community-based theatre as risk communication tool for coastal risk mitigation and ecosystem-based adaptation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Disaster risk reduction on stage

T2 - An empirical evaluation of community-based theatre as risk communication tool for coastal risk mitigation and ecosystem-based adaptation

AU - Bubeck, Philip

AU - Pham, Thi Dieu My

AU - Anh, Nguyen Thi Nhat

AU - Hudson, Paul

N1 - © 2024 The Authors.

PY - 2024/4/1

Y1 - 2024/4/1

N2 - The Sendai Framework highlights the need for an all-of-society effort to reduce the societal burden of flooding, with a focus on those being disproportionately affected. In this context, community-based organizations shall contribute to and support public awareness, a culture of prevention and education on disaster risk. Participatory theatre could be a promising means to that end, but quantitative evaluations are currently lacking. We provide a systematic literature review on participatory theatre in the context of natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. Moreover, we quantitatively evaluate to what extent community-based theatre implemented by the Women's Union in Central Vietnam could contribute to public awareness and foster societal engagement. 10 theatre performances in five coastal communes were evaluated using pre- and post-performance surveys among 635 visitors, mainly women. We find that community-based theatre enhanced risk perceptions, perceived flood knowledge, self-efficacy, and the importance of social participation. No significant effect was found on intentions to engage in (collective) risk reducing behavior. We conclude that participatory theatre is an effective risk-communication tool for community-based organizations, which should be embedded in broader activities addressing societal resilience against flooding. Future research should explore the sustainability of the observed increases and the long-term dynamics of behavioral changes.

AB - The Sendai Framework highlights the need for an all-of-society effort to reduce the societal burden of flooding, with a focus on those being disproportionately affected. In this context, community-based organizations shall contribute to and support public awareness, a culture of prevention and education on disaster risk. Participatory theatre could be a promising means to that end, but quantitative evaluations are currently lacking. We provide a systematic literature review on participatory theatre in the context of natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. Moreover, we quantitatively evaluate to what extent community-based theatre implemented by the Women's Union in Central Vietnam could contribute to public awareness and foster societal engagement. 10 theatre performances in five coastal communes were evaluated using pre- and post-performance surveys among 635 visitors, mainly women. We find that community-based theatre enhanced risk perceptions, perceived flood knowledge, self-efficacy, and the importance of social participation. No significant effect was found on intentions to engage in (collective) risk reducing behavior. We conclude that participatory theatre is an effective risk-communication tool for community-based organizations, which should be embedded in broader activities addressing societal resilience against flooding. Future research should explore the sustainability of the observed increases and the long-term dynamics of behavioral changes.

KW - Community-based theatre

KW - Disaster risk reduction

KW - Adaptation

KW - Resilience

U2 - 10.1016/j.pdisas.2024.100323

DO - 10.1016/j.pdisas.2024.100323

M3 - Article

SN - 2590-0617

VL - 22

JO - Progress in Disaster Science

JF - Progress in Disaster Science

M1 - 100323

ER -