Innovation Theatre - Playfully Building Capacity for Change

 We at Regen Studio believe that theatre can have a profound impact on learning. That is why we are excited to introduce the concept of Innovation Theatre, a collaborative project with Expressar & Ser, a company providing theatre classes for children, adults and corporates in the city of São Paulo.

Innovation Theatre is the combination of Regen's innovation process for smart cities with Brazilian theatre methodologies, that share a similar goal: Empowering communities to design solutions to solve their problems.

What is Innovation Theatre?

Innovation Theatre is a pioneering course that merges two powerful methodologies from Dutch and Brazilian origin: Regen's Smart City Innovation Process made for City of The Hague, and the Brazilian 'Theatre of the Oppressed'. It combines innovation and theatrical exercises to cultivate skills like creativity, problem-solving, and social awareness. By using hands-on activities, such as role-playing, co-creation sessions, and performing on stage, participants are encouraged to explore their own local community challenges through an engaging process and address those challenges with solutions of their own design.

Theatre of the Oppressed: A Tool for Social Transformation

The Theatre of the Oppressed, developed by Brazilian Augusto Boal, is a form of interactive theater aimed at giving a voice to marginalized groups and encouraging social change. A powerful example within this method is the 'newspaper theatre' exercise, where participants transform news articles into dramatic scenes. This exercise not only encourages critical thinking about current events but also allows participants to explore different perspectives and potential responses to societal challenges.

Smart City Innovation Process: The Hague

Regen Studio has developed the innovation process used by the Expertise Centre for Digital Innovation and Smart Cities at the City of The Hague. It is an adaptation of Design Thinking, specifically tuned for the complex environment of city governments. The process is a comprehensive and flexible protocol that the Innovation Consultants of the City are applying in more than 15 projects, such as in the award-winning Living Lab Scheveningen. It guides them through the innovation phases of Problem Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, Validation and Experiment, by co-creation and consensus-making.

Combining the two methodologies

At first, the two methodologies seem quite different from each other. However, upon closer look, both strive for the same goal, especially in the phases of Problem Definition and Ideation. Whereas the Theatre of the Opressed tries to create empathy through role-playing in the 'newspaper theatre', the innovation process contains 'empathy mapping'. Both exercises have the goal to sense, to empathize and to give insight in the perspective of the other. Combining these exercises gives a powerful systemic and documented approach towards this goal. Infusing theatre throughout the entire innovation process gives a complete new layer of experience to learning, that is more engaging and impactful.

Why We Believe It is Regenerative

At its core, Innovation Theatre is about empowering those who often lack access to innovation tools and networks. By providing capacity building opportunities to teenagers from low-opportunity communities, the project fosters personal growth and community engagement. This grassroots approach aligns with regenerative principles: nurturing human potential, strengthening community resilience, and encouraging solutions that can drive local development. It’s not about imposing solutions but helping communities shape their own futures. By combining creative expression with practical problem-solving, we equip individuals to become change-makers in their communities. It’s a small but meaningful contribution to building more liveable cities, one that focuses on inclusion and the empowerment of often-overlooked voices.

Thoughts on the Future

Innovation Theatre is still evolving, with its current iteration awaiting funding approval. As we move forward, our focus is on exploring long-term partnerships, sustained funding models, and strategies for scaling the initiative. As we continue to refine and expand the project, we remain committed to transforming this vision into a truly regenerative reality—one where empowered individuals are just the beginning of broader systemic renewal. This way, we aim to create not just immediate improvements but a foundation for enduring, community-driven change.

Adopt Innovation Theatre in Your Own Community

We invite you to try out Innovation Theatre as a tool for skill-building your own community. Transform the way that people think about the problems around them and give them the building blocks to do something about it. We believe it works for any kind of group of people. Get in touch with us through info@regenstudio.world and inform how this tool can be deployed within your context.