Evaluation of Theatre for Social Change: What counts and what is being counted?

Is it possible to evaluate drama and Theatre for Social Change in a way that contributes to the body of knowledge and is meaningful for those involved? Applied theatre is often claimed to have a huge potential, and projects are described as having a strong impact. Requested by external funders, evaluation reports are produced around the world. Here, three projects – from Palestine, Serbia and Sweden/ European Union – are described. The cases are used to discuss how to evaluate Theatre for Social Change in a fruitful way: What is the result of the evaluations? What kinds of conclusions are drawn? How credible, useful or generative are these evaluations? Special attention is given to the evaluators’ role. If the evaluators express their personal and professional preferences, the outcome may be a more credible evaluation –‘objectivity’ through declared values. Still, dilemmas related to different interests and time perspectives remain to be solved.