Bangalore: Street plays have always been an effective way of propagating ideas, as they break the traditional barrier between the performers and the audience.

Though this unique genre has its roots in native performances such as that of snake charmers and street acrobats, it has been creatively adapted to convey powerful political messages, especially in the 1970s.

Now, here is a handy book of street plays for activists working in the area of child labour and education. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Child Rights Trust (CRT) are releasing a compendium of street plays focusing on these issues on June 15. The plays were scripted in the course of a workshop in November 2006, in which playwrights from across Karnataka participated.

Nagasimha G. Rao of CRT says that the plays have been written in a way that makes it convenient for them to be stage anywhere, even in a remote village, without spending too much time or money on production. Each play is accompanied by directions so that even people with minimal experience in theatre can use the book. They also list a set of questions that can be raised at the end of each play, which will help create a debate on the issue.

The book will be released at the office of APSA, a NGO working on issues of child labour, at Vimanapura. Call 41138285 for details on the book.

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