From Theatre to Transformation: Learning, Action, and Diffusion for SDG2 in Cambodia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The arts are envisioned as able to help address the longstanding ‘implementation gap’ between research and realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For SDG2 (Zero Hunger), Forum Theatre offers a participatory alternative to top‐down interventions, yet its impacts have not been evaluated using rigorous, mixed‐methods that are attentive to both quantitative and qualitative data, to spillover effects, or to diffusion over time. This study analyses 13 performances in Northwest Cambodia, each attended by 50–150 people, with follow‐up interviews conducted with 66 attendees 1 year later. Results identify a replicable impact pathway: learning correlates with on‐farm behaviour change, which is predictive of knowledge‐sharing with non‐attendees, whereas recollection alone does not. By evidencing this process, the analysis provides rare empirical proof of theatre's effectiveness as a catalyst for change. More broadly, it evidences a replicable pathway for achieving the SDGs, but one that requires moving beyond information‐transfer models toward participatory interventions that foster dialogue, critical reflection, forum, and the collective diffusion of new practices. A short documentary and accompanying video of performances are available to illustrate the process and support others seeking to replicate or adapt the approach in different contexts.