Living Stage Theatre
Washington DC
'To reconstruct society means, above all, to empower individual persons to remake it.' - Ivan Illich:
I have been asked to join a panel of individuals to talk about the use of theatre for social transformation during the festival. For some reason, this proposition seemed a little daunting to me. Being only 23, I doubted my capability to discuss such a huge and important topic, but I've come to understand that this is what my whole workshop piece is about and that I am one of the many people our there who are creating theatre in the hopes of educating their audience and motivating them to then act in anyway they can to rectify the injustices that are uncovered. This seems lofty and idealistic, but I remain firmly grounded in my belief that all art has a purpose, and the purpose of my own work is to bring about social change through education and awareness. It just takes one audience member to mention the topic to a friend, to Google the issue, or post something on Facebook to get the snowball rolling and create conversation which will then lead to action. There are only so many ways to tell people about the many injustices throughout the world, and not everyone is impacted through the news or pamphlets. Some people need to see, hear, smell, and feel the story for it to truly have an impact and make a mark on their memory. With live theatre, you can create an entire world for your audience, put them close enough to touch you, separate them from the world outside the room and give them a full sensory experience that will leave a longer lasting impact on their view of the topic. Now, that is not to say that everyone is going to run out and begin changing the world, making donations, volunteering, etc. but they will talk, and some of them will act and that is the best outcome to hope for.
The danger, I feel, with socially focused works is their tendency to get preachy and push people away. I feel that this comes from lack of authority or lack of knowledge on the topic. You can have a cast screaming and ranting about saving the whales and all the audience will hear is screaming and ranting. Nothing more. The artist has to understand their stance before they take it. They must be as fully educated on the topic as possible, they have to understand why they are compelled to tell the story, and most of all, they have to remember whose story they are telling. Theatre for social change is a vehicle for a voice and it has to be about the voice that the artist is carrying, not the vehicle. If those priorities are always kept in line and the artist understands the importance of the voice, that is what their audience will hear. Nothing more.
This is a summation of my stance. Theatre is a way to think globally and ACT locally. A way to say the difficult things, show the ugly truths, and plead for the help that's needed while remaining engaging, entertaining, and artistic. It's one way to try to change the world.
But...that is not enough for me to feel confident talking among my highly esteemed panel-mates about the issue. I have started to do some research into organizations, individuals, that use theatre for social change, how they use it, and the impact that it has made. Check out some of the following links to see what these organizations are up to and how they plan to "heal the world. Make it a better place..."
Arlene Goldbard
This essay originally appeared in Theater, Volume 31, Number 3 (Spring 2002)
- Arlene Goldbard writes on her experience with and the history of theatre for social change. She discusses a wide range of topics from why this form may exist, different target audiences, and the astonishing willpower of artists to keep creating social work when all the odds are stacked against them.
"Skeptical of constituted authority and entrenched institutions, convinced that the deepest social transformations are grounded in the deepest individual epiphanies, artists have persisted in making theater to change the world."
"...in our age of politics as a form of commerce, a lot of smart people seriously doubt the efficacy of conventional paths to social transformation."
"...people look to their own experience, and for most of us, many life-changing moments have been encounters with art...""pain-how we turn it into beauty, into grace, into an arrow aimed at the heart of the matter."
ActNow Theatre for Social Change
This is a Australian Youth based theatre company that works with youth and professionals to create social change. Just an interesting resource to browse because of it's focus on youth and classic material.
Patrick E. Idoye
A comprehensive documentation of the activities of the University of Zambia Chikwakwa Theatre. This group used the medium of theatre to help bring about the social changes in the central African nation of Zambia between 1969-1979. What are today known as the "Chikwakwa concepts" have become part of the universal theatre language of the southern African region. This text explores these principals which include: that theatre and politics are inextricably linked in Africa because "cultural discussion is frequently political discussion"; that the socio-political functions of the theatre are more crucial than the entertainment or aesthetic values; and that for theatre to be effective it must be rooted in the traditions of the people.
Theatre of the Oppressed
The Theatre of the Oppressed is a method elaborated by the Brazilian director Auguto Boal, starting from the 60s, first in Brazill and then in Europe. This method uses theatre as means of knowledge and transformation of the interior reality in the social and relational field. The public becomes active, so that the "spect-actors" explore, show, analyze and transform the reality in which they are living.
Collective Encounters is a UK theatre based company that does site specific works to stimulate social change for specific needs and demographics, invite and involve community members in the creation of new work, and contribute greatly to the development of theatre for social change.
Theatre for Social Change Essay
An anonymous essay about the purpose of theatre and it's ability to enact social change stating "Theatre is meant to challenge the audience."
Activist Theatre: Edwidge Danticat on Art and Injustice
Essay by Edwidge Danticat.
“We must create as though each piece of art is a stand-in for a life, a goal, a hope, a future,” she said. “There isn’t anybody else.”
No comments:
Post a Comment