Is Acting in Your Blood? A Spotlight on Theater as Activism

Tags: activism, art, creativity, theater

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The Activist for Activists. Author of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism and The Happy Activist: Journey the 5-Step Activism Path to Focus Your Passion and Change the World. Teacher, Psychologist, Environmental Activist, Animal Lover.

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Is Acting in Your Blood? A Spotlight on Theater as Activism

Theater as Activism? Yes! Using our strengths and passions for our cause means we are automatically motivated and more likely to stay in activism over the long haul. When researching my book, What’s on Your Sign: How to focus your passion and change the world, I was enchanted by the creative ways in which people used their strengths to make change. One example is The Diggers – A Spotlight on the Remarkable Theater Group of the ’60s. Here are stories of more people making a difference with theater.

WALLS: A Play for Palestine

Summer Awad grew up in East Tennessee, a Palestinian American who experienced the harm caused by stereotyping. Active in the arts, she landed a role in a production of “The Vagina Monologues” by Eve Ensler and realized that theater could be used as a form of activism. Summer describes how her passions and strengths merged.

“As I studied Arabic, a lifelong goal of mine, my interests in theatre, personal heritage, and Palestinian human rights merged perfectly. I decided to write a play as my culminating senior thesis project for my self-designed major in Literary Activism. With the resources of the theatre and Arabic departments at UT and an outpouring of support from the community, “WALLS: A Play for Palestine” was born.” Summer’s play was accepted at the New York International Fringe Festival.

Summer believes that complicated issues can be well-communicated through theatre. Her advice: “I would encourage political artists to carve out a space for themselves in places where they may not have been represented before. Don’t let anyone tell you that your story is not for the stage, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t change minds and hearts through performance art. My experience has been a testament to the contrary.”

You can find more information about Summer’s play at wallsplay.com.

[Are you interested in using your art to make a difference?]

Legislative Theater

Theater can influence even more if observers join in the performance. A creative approach called Legislative Theater involves skits depicting injustice; the actors perform the skit first, then a second time with invite legislators to take a role and create a different outcome. Finally, the audience gets involved in the debate to discuss ways to right the injustices.

The example of Legislative Theater in this Yes! Magazine article is “Queer Survival Quest,” performed by trans youth in Port Townsend, Washington. The audience includes influencers in the Port Townsend community who want to be educated about how trans youth are impacted by local policies.

The director of “Queer Survival Quest” believes that theater works well to illustrate complex issues such as the impact of policies on trans youth.

Theater as Activism

Art can contribute to change. Theater touches hearts in a way that film and TV cannot, with the personal connection between the audience and actors. This makes theater an ideal medium for helping people understand points of view that differ from their own.

If acting is in your blood, why not make theater your way of making the change you want to see in the world?

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Is Acting in Your Blood? A Spotlight on Theater as Activism