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Forum Theatre for Community Action
(Level 2 Joker Training)
Dates: August 26-28, 2022: 11am-6pm each day
*Note: We strongly prefer that participants attend the entirety of the training.
Location: Lower East Side, NYC (Address/details will be sent to confirmed participants). Proof of vaccination will be required to attend this training.)
Facilitators: Sulu LeoNimm, Adama Diallo
Description: This workshop provides the opportunity for facilitators to reflect on their facilitation in community with Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners, and engage in a rigorous exploration of how to incorporate anti-oppression methodology inside of the work of Theatre of the Oppressed. Participants will lead Forum Theatre games and exercises, share roadblocks they've experienced, and receive feedback from the TONYC jokers and fellow workshop participants. This workshop is best suited for individuals with prior facilitation experience.
Participants will:
- Evaluate your practice based on three essential elements of jokering: accuracy, style and ethics. Discuss the adjustments necessary to meet the needs of different communities and to support health & safety.
- Practice facilitating games, learn from the feedback of other participants participants and have the opportunity to give and receive constructive feedback.
- Practice jokering a forum scene, and receive constructive feedback.
- Review and deepen knowledge of the theory and politics that are the foundation of TO.
- Ask questions. Access resources. Build networks.
Rates are on a sliding scale between $200-600 dollars. You can apply to pay based on your financial means, the value you wish to receive, or your desire to support.
Note: The standard rate for this training is $450. Payment above the standard is a supportive rate that allows us to make this training accessible to those who cannot contribute the standard rate at this time. TONYC will not be evaluating your needs to determine your pay rate. We are asking each individual to make an honest self-assessment of their own needs as well as economic/institutional privilege to select their own fee with integrity and mindfulness.
Application: Applications will close after July 25th. Those who apply by that date will receive a response that week. Link: https://forms.gle/cVdPSBKAEmZZeG328
A non-refundable $50 deposit is required to reserve your spot. The balance of your workshop fee is due 2 weeks before the training. Advance payment of workshop fees supports TONYC in opening spots to people on the waiting list. If your access to funds means you need a payment plan or adjusted payment schedule, please contact Liz at [email protected]
Training fees paid to TONYC are non-refundable during the 7 days before the training, and may not be credited to a future training. Exceptions will only be considered at TONYC's discretion.
Below are some of the online trainings we offered in 2021.
ONLINE GAMES MINI-JAM
Much of Boal’s work involved taking theatre games that he already knew and using them as a social metaphor to open up a particular kind of dialogue. COVID-19 forced TONYC Jokers into similar territory: We've learned to adapt the games with which we were familiar as well as learn new Zoom icebreakers and turn them into activities for consciousness-raising. We invite you to a 2-hour experience where you’ll demo some of our favorite new online "de-mechanization" games followed by some training on how to make your own Theatre of the Oppressed games. Bring questions and exercises you'd like to try out. Best suited for individuals with some experience facilitating theatre exercises.
CHANNELING THE NEWS
Over the past several years, we’ve been introduced to terms like “fake news” and “alternative facts.” For this reason, TONYC’s Joker team has recently taken a deeper dive into Newspaper Theatre, Boal’s series of techniques for transforming non-dramatic texts (like newspaper articles) into a theatrical performance. Join us for a two-hour workshop where we’ll explore how to gamify different texts in rehearsal and channel the news & media --combined with our lived experience -- into art for social change. No experience necessary.
RAINBOW OF DESIRE/COPS IN THE HEAD RETREAT
Rainbow of Desire & Cops in the Head are a related series of theater exercises from Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed. These techniques facilitate the examination of internalized oppressive mental models in our communities by externalizing them as forces of oppression, or "cops." In this work, we theatrically brainstorm ways to fight these cops and ultimately gain more clarity about our will and desires. Spend two back-to-back sessions with TONYC Jokers to develop scenes based on personal experiences or challenges, and investigate the social forces within our society that block effective communication and community development.
BRIDGING THE GAP: LEGISLATIVE THEATRE RETREAT
Experience the core structure and dramaturgy of Forum Theatre with an interactive demo and launch into discovering what additional tools and analyses are needed to turn a play about real-life situations into an opportunity for policy-generating. Whether you’re seeking to abolish oppressive legislation or are curious about changing unofficial rules or practices that impact your community, legislative theatre is a powerful way to approach participatory democracy. Participants will walk away understanding “WatchActVote” the basic steps of Legislative Theatre, and tips for how to use these techniques in their own work.