Journal of Development Communication And Applied Theatre

This paper interrogates ecological dissonance that drives the scrambling for alternative means for survival, using Dulene Enterprise as a model to explore a viable alternative. The growing resurgence of ecological problems has diminished the value of certain careers university careers, indicating a fear of uncertain future. In society, there is the desire to cope with the hash economy, which consequently leads to reckless stride to identify a means of survival, which opens people to irresolute choice of careers and easy outlet to de-centre to another in order to survive. The Theatre Arts discipline embodies numerous sought-after crafts, providing a foundation for interdisciplinary trade across disciplines to increase entrepreneurial opportunities. Unfortunately, theatre artists usually downplay these opportunities, while people specializing in other discipline explore the opportunities to create jobs. A qualitative research design using interviews was adopted for the study, while the theoretical foundation is Ecocriticism. Findings show that it is the social condition that shapes survival strategies in society. Non-theatre practitioners are gaining more ground in theatre crafts surpassing passive theatre artists and that expertise in costume is an assurance of survival and investment. It concludes that determined theatre professionals can create wealth by applying the skills acquired through various practices, and that unused knowledge contributes to economic stagnation. The study recommends that theatre artists should emulate Dulene Enterprise by exploring unconventional opportunities to create sustainable livelihood.

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