Using theatre as a tool, women, who are doubly marginalized by poverty and gender inequity, can begin to empower their voices to participate in public discussions of appropriate sustainable energy development projects. By intentionally creating situations through theatre in which the voices of those who are poor are encouraged to discuss and critique the energy solutions being introduced into their lives, we not only have a better development project, we also move closer to true participatory development. During interventions I have done in Panama and Guatemala focused on instigating community discussions about fuel-efficient cook stoves, community-performed skits with talk-back sessions led by a community leader have proven to be effective for engaging the community in a lively discussion. By providing a Vocal Empowerment Workshop for the women the day before the community event. I was able to share tools for vocal empowerment that supported the women's participation in this discussion. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.