In both contemporary educational and development discourse, the idea of participation is increasingly being regarded as falsely leading to an erroneous interpretation of the social construction of reality by dominant groups with the people's transformation. The strategies being deployed in the name of participation such as dialogue, giving voice, conscientisation and empowerment are deemed to create the illusion of liberation while they reinforce prevailing oppressive structures. This article examines participation as an aesthetic category that has come to be associated with such problematic terms as "repressive myth," "tyranny," "thing" and "jargon." The article uses the illustrative paradigm of the Themba Interactive Theatre Company in Johannesburg, South Africa, to show how actor-educators are grappling with participation in their performance based Theatre in Education interventions.