TONYC offers customizable private workshops with games, exercises, and facilitation ranging in length from 2-hour demonstrations to 3-month residencies. Workshops can introduce groups to Theatre of the Oppressed in support of training teachers, artists, and/or organizers, or they can be tailored to hold space for difficult conversations around power, privilege, and more. Our work is most appropriate for ages 15 and up. Our NYC-based facilitator team can facilitate virtually or travel to facilitate in person. Theatre of the Oppressed NYC is a NYC DOE vendor.

To collaborate with us:

• Please read the summaries of our workshops and review the pricing provided below. Rates are available on a sliding scale based on the size of your organization, the resources available to your community, and additional costs, such as travel beyond NYC. Customized workshop incur additional costs and are subject to staff capacity.
  
• Complete a Zoom Workshop Request or In-Person Workshop Request to receive a workshop and pricing proposal. You can schedule a short call for inquiries using the following link: 30-min inquiry with Sulu LeoNimm.

Please note:

• To rent TONYC's space for your workshop, please email [email protected]. More information about TONYC's space rentals here.

• TONYC's workshops are designed for groups. If you are an individual looking for individualized training, you can:

  • Check our Public Workshops page.
  • Download our The Wildcard Workbook: A Practical Guide to Facilitating Forum Theatre
  • Book a consultation with Sulu LeoNimm (more information below)
  • Gather other like-minded individuals to collectively host TONYC for a private workshop.
  • Fund a training in NYC where our community of actors can train alongside you.

TONYC’s standard workshop offerings include:

Intro to Theatre of the Oppressed Demo

1.5-2 hours. Standard Fee: $515-$900

Creativity is the key to transformation. An Intro to Theatre of the Oppressed workshop will allow your group to experience the power of embodied play!  Our experienced facilitators will lead you through a series of games, discussions and role play improvisation. The experience will be an opportunity to share power and build trust, equipping you with tools to educate, empower, and mobilize others in new ways.  This will lay the foundation for collectively brainstorming actionable next steps in the face of interpersonal conflict or institutional injustice. Each activity and debrief discussion is designed to help communities reflect deeply about the status quo and how we maintain or change it.

Extended Intro with Scene Development

4-7 hours. Standard Fee: $1,800-$3,600

An extended introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed exercises and facilitation that includes the creation of short scenes around community issues. These scenes are used to demonstrate the model of Forum Theatre, in which the scenes ask a question of the audience, and the audience becomes involved as “spect-actors,” taking on the role of the protagonist to offer interventions and alternatives to the problems. This model engages the community of actors and “spect-actors” to address problems collectively and creatively.

Extended Intro with Teachback 

3-4 hours. Standard Fee: $1,200-$2,400

During this training, participants are introduced to the core techniques of Theatre of the Oppressed and learn to facilitate exercises in an accessible and engaging style. Participants will learn and “teach-back” games and exercises, receiving constructive feedback on their facilitation from leader and peers.

The theatre activities encourage “de-mechanization” of the body and the mind: when we are stuck in patterns of action and thought that we have been taught by society, or into which we are forced without choice, we cannot freely be ourselves, secure our human rights, follow our own dreams, and be true leaders in our communities. Connect the tool of Theatre of the Oppressed to the specific issues that affect power and privilege as it affects your community, through dialogue and theatrical brainstorming.

Forum Scenes Creation & Public Performance 

6-10 hours, plus 2 hours for performance. Standard Fee: $4,500-$10,000

During this training, participants are introduced to the techniques, create Forum scenes for a public performance to engage “spect-actors” on a shared issue.

After introduction to the technique, participants will follow the process of developing Forum Theatre scenes. We share stories of oppression faced by individuals in the group, then choose, cast, improvise and script these stories. Rehearsal techniques/games from the Theatre of the Oppressed arsenal are used to develop the scenes. We collect found, recycled materials to create costumes and set; all artistic choices will be made by the actors in each scene. Finally, we perform the forums, in which the scenes ask a question of the audience, and the audience becomes involved as “spect-actors,” taking on the role of the protagonist to offer interventions and alternatives to the problems. The TONYC facilitators serve in the role of the unbiased “joker,” mediating the discussion and interactions between the actors and the “spect-actors.” Thus, the entire community learns to address problems collectively and creatively.

Forum Scenes Creation & Joker Training

20 hours/2.5 days. Standard Fee: $15,000+

During this training, participants are introduced to the techniques, learn to facilitate exercises with a group, create Forum scenes, and practice the role of the Joker to mediate discussion between actors and “spect-actors”. 

After introduction to the technique, participants will follow the process of developing Forum Theatre scenes in preparation for facilitating Theatre of the Oppressed workshops and rehearsals in their own communities. They will learn and “teach-back” games and exercises, receiving constructive feedback on their facilitation from leader and peers. We share stories of oppression faced by individuals in the group, then choose, cast, improvise and script these stories. Rehearsal techniques/games from the Theatre of the Oppressed arsenal are used to develop the scenes. We collect found, recycled materials to create costumes and set; all artistic choices will be made by the actors in each scene. Finally, we perform the forums, in which the scenes ask a question of the audience, and the audience becomes involved as “spect-actors,” taking on the role of the protagonist to offer interventions and alternatives to the problems. Participants learn to take on the role of the unbiased “joker,” mediating the discussion and interactions between the actors and the “spect-actors.” Thus, the entire community learns to address problems collectively and creatively.

Legislative Theatre Demonstration

2.5- 4 hours online. Standard Fee: $1,200-$3,600

Refresh your memory on 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.

Consulting

Hourly. Sliding scale rate: $80-250/hour.

TONYC has opened consulting hours with Sulu LeoNimm, Joker for 13 years and TONYC's Executive Director since 2020. Consulting time can cover Theatre of the Oppressed topics, including facilitation and program design, or non-profit administration topics, including operations, TONYC’s practices, and implementation of democratic workplace management.

Single appointments can be booked in 1-2 hour blocks via Google appointments, and will take place on Google Meet (Zoom available if preferred). To ask about special adjustments, such as making the booking an in-person meeting, scheduling outside the available time slots, or requesting non-meeting time for review of materials, please email Sulu at [email protected] at least a week in advance of the date.

Our previous workshop clients include...

Here's what participants have to say about our workshops:

All of the games were very fascinating… a little scary, but also fascinating. I was amazed by the outcomes of the forum exercise — very unexpected, so much complexity. 

- Arizona State University participant

[The Jokers] were AMAZING. They made it feel very comfy and open from the start. They made it fun and playful while keeping us on task and grounded in the importance of the work. They were able to get a lot out of the time; they shifted plans to meet the needs of the group. I would love to work with them again someday.

- Franklin & Marshall College participant

[I learned] the practice of addressing oppression at work and interpersonally — oppressing and silencing tactics to look out for, ways to advocate for the oppressed without doing more harm.

- Pipeline Theatre Company participant