"This chapter explores the relationship between theatre and neoliberal policies in Tanzania. It analyses the consequences of neoliberalism for the Tanzanian theatre and exposes the challenges it faces as a simulacrum of people’s culture. I also present evidence on why it is important, when analyzing theatre in Tanzania just before and after independence in 1961, one should take into consideration the influence of internal and international political economies. Using the case of Theatre for Development (TfD), the chapter also deals with the assumption that neoliberal policies have pushed theatre to the periphery and created greater donor dependence." (p.191)