Theatre and Social Change
Theatre in Action- (TiA)
I created the Applied Theatre troupe, Theatre in Action, in 2015 at the University of Miami. The troupe uses Forum Theatre techniques to stimulate community dialogue around sensitive issues as a means of fostering cultural and social change. Performances are designed to take place in both traditional and non-traditional performance spaces. They are interactive, and audience members are invited to problem solve the issues presented as an opportunity to “rehearse for life”.
The goal of the Forum Theatre process is to foster understanding across differences, help people function effectively within differences, and build social engagement skills. TiA’s presentations are examples of embodied research i.e. research presented through performance. Scripts are created from published research, and by engaging with the community that is affected by the particular social issue being explored. They are written to include a multiplicity of views, often opposing, from a variety of stake-holders, so that community members can see their perspectives and engage with opposition in a dispassionate way.
The troupe served an integral part of the University of Miami’s new student orientation on campus sexual assault intervention program since fall 2016. TiA also offers performances to the high schools and organizations in the greater Miami-Dade region upon request.
The goal of the Forum Theatre process is to foster understanding across differences, help people function effectively within differences, and build social engagement skills. TiA’s presentations are examples of embodied research i.e. research presented through performance. Scripts are created from published research, and by engaging with the community that is affected by the particular social issue being explored. They are written to include a multiplicity of views, often opposing, from a variety of stake-holders, so that community members can see their perspectives and engage with opposition in a dispassionate way.
The troupe served an integral part of the University of Miami’s new student orientation on campus sexual assault intervention program since fall 2016. TiA also offers performances to the high schools and organizations in the greater Miami-Dade region upon request.
