The fragmentation of social groups in the face of the global mass media has begun to threaten the survival of popular theatre companies. This study traces the development of various types of community theatre in Britain and Canada, from the '70s to the present day.

Attention is drawn to several key issues including: distinctions between popular and mainstream theatre; the Theatre in Education movement; influence of Theatre for Development from Africa and Asia; popular theatre as an art form, a process of self-empowerment and an instrument of cultural intervention. The book follows an innovative structure, integrating a comparative history of popular theatre with the contributions of current, active popular theatre makers. The co-authors, one British, one Canadian, shape their discourses around these contributions so that the the authentic voices are neither mediated nor distorted. The book is thus designed to appeal both to the theatrical practitioner and to the academic.