Many educators find that learners leave a lesson knowing more about environmental problems but don't change what they do. Some also tune out when messages feel alarming or repetitive. This study tested whether writing and performing a play could help close that gap.
The researchers ran an eight-session theater workshop for undergraduates aged 18 to 22 at a university in Sonipat, India. Of the 72 students who signed up, 20 attended most sessions; the researchers surveyed them before and after, held a group discussion with them, and surveyed 76 students who watched the performance.
The researchers found:
- Attitudes, habits and confidence all grew. After the workshop, students held stronger pro-environmental attitudes, reported more environmentally friendly behavior, and felt more able to take action.
- Students came to believe their actions matter. Fourteen of the 20 described a shift in their belief that one person's involvement makes a difference.
- Small changes spread. Six students started using reusable cups, buying fewer disposable items and grouping online orders together. They encouraged friends to do the same.
- Fresh, easy messages work better. Students said environmental messages need new ways of being delivered, and solutions should feel convenient rather than a burden.
- The benefits went beyond the environment. Thirteen students said the workshop gave them rest and a recharge. Eleven grew in confidence, some carrying it into public speaking elsewhere. Six felt they belonged among peers who shared their concerns.
- The audience was affected too. About three in four students who watched said the play made them more aware of climate issues.
What this means for your practice
- Borrow the design. Each group took one of four environmental concerns facing India. They wrote an 8 to 10 minute script using local news and their own experience, alongside theater training. The play used forum theater, a style where the audience is invited into the action, guided by a facilitator called the "joker."
- Choose issues learners recognize. Local problems drawn from the news and daily life gave students something real to write about.
- Plan realistic resources. You'll need a facilitator who knows the material, three to four hours a week for four weeks, a safe rehearsal space, an open area to perform, basic sound equipment and a small budget.
- Perform where people already are. The play was staged outside the campus cafeteria. Public, everyday spaces reach people who would never attend an environmental event.
- Prepare your joker. Some improvisation practice helps whoever guides the audience. Training other educators to run the workshop means you don't need a theater specialist.
- Make solutions feel easy. Show actions as convenient and doable, not as sacrifices.
- Think about attendance. Many students dropped out because of other coursework. The authors suggest offering the workshop for course credit, though required participation may dampen the enthusiasm volunteers bring. Weigh which suits your setting.
- Count the wider benefits. Rest, confidence and belonging are strong reasons to make the case for a program like this.
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The Bottom Line
The researchers ran a four-week theater workshop at a university in India, where students wrote and performed their own short play about local environmental problems. Students who completed the workshop showed stronger environmental attitudes, reported more environmentally friendly habits, and felt more confident that their own actions could make a difference. Several made small everyday changes, like using reusable cups and buying fewer disposable items, and encouraged friends to do the same. They also felt more rested, more confident speaking in public and more connected to their peers. Most students who watched the play said it made them more aware of climate issues. For educators, this offers a practical, clearly described way to move climate education beyond awareness toward action, using theater that learners create themselves.