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Applied Theatre

In his essay “Translations: The Distinction Between Social and Civic Practice and Why I Find It Useful,” Michael Rohd defines civic practice as “activity where an artist employs the assets of his/her craft in response to the needs of non-arts partners as determined through ongoing relationship-based dialogue. The impulse of what to make comes out of the relationship, not an artist-driven proposal.” You’ll find lots of content putting these ideas into action in this section.

The Latest

On Theatre, Home, and Housing 
Essay
On Theatre, Home, and Housing 
by Jan Cohen-Cruz
16 January 2024
Turning City Council Meetings into Performance
Podcast
Turning City Council Meetings into Performance
by Jeffrey Mosser, Mallory Catlett, Aaron Landsman
10 May 2023
Civic Imagination: The Urgency of Possibility
Essay
Civic Imagination: The Urgency of Possibility
by Michael Rohd
27 February 2023
Estamos Juntos / We are Together
Essay

Estamos Juntos / We are Together

Report-Outs from the Latinx Theatre Commons International Convening

20 November 2017

Olga Sanchez reflects on Day Four of the Encuentro de las Américas International Convening on 12 November, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

The New Theatre Season in Germany
Essay

The New Theatre Season in Germany

Occupation and Immersion

6 November 2017

Thomas Schmidt talks about the recent protest at the Berlin Volksbühne over the change of leadership and immersive theatre in Germany.

Belarus Free Theatre's performance of Burning Doors
Video

Belarus Free Theatre's performance of Burning Doors

Sunday 22 October 2017
New York, NY, United States

La MaMa in New York City presented Belarus Free Theatre's performance of Burning Doors livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Sunday 22 October at 4 p.m. EDT (New York) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 20:00 UTC / 9 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 22:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2) / 23:00 MSK/EEST (Minsk, Moscow, Beirut, UTC +3). On Twitter, follow @HowlRound@BFreeTheatre, and use #BurningDoors to share your thoughts.

Climate Change Theatre Action Still Waving
Video

Climate Change Theatre Action Still Waving

Monday 23 October / Sunday 22 October
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Massey University presented the Climate Change Theatre Action event Still Waving—a series of readings and performances—livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced howlround.tv network on Monday 23 October at 2 p.m. NZDT (Wellington, UTC +13) / Monday, October 23 at 12 p.m. AEDT (Sydney, UTC +11) / Monday, October 23 at 9 a.m. SGT (Singapore UTC +8) / Monday, October 23 at 2 a.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / Monday, October 23 at 01:00 UTC / Sunday, October 22 at 9:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / Sunday, October 22 at 6 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7).

What is forbidden? About political theatre and politicisation of theatre in Poland
Video

What is forbidden? About political theatre and politicisation of theatre in Poland

A debate about the dangers to artistic freedom

Friday 20 October 2017

The Dialog-Wrocław International Theatre Festival in Poland presented the debate What is forbidden? About political theatre and politicisation of theatre in Poland​ livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 20 October at 16:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2) / 17:00 EEST (Beirut, UTC +3) / 3 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 14:00 UTC +0 / 10 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4). In Twitter, follow @howlround for updates and use #howlround.

Why do we need theatre?
Video

Why do we need theatre?

A debate about cultural institutions in tae world where the freedom of creation is endangered.

Thursday 19 October 2017
Poland

The Dialog-Wrocław International Theatre Festival in Poland presented the debate Why do we need theatre? livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 19 October at 16:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2) / 17:00 EEST (Beirut, UTC +3) / 3 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 14:00 UTC +0 / 10 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4). In Twitter, follow @howlround for updates and use #howlround.

Theatre and Democracy: Institutional Practices in Polish Theatre
Video

Theatre and Democracy: Institutional Practices in Polish Theatre

The Polish Theatre Journal

Friday 13 October 2017
Lublin, Poland

The 22nd edition of Konfrontacje Festival in Lublin, Poland presented the discussion Theatre and Democracy: Institutional Practices in Polish Theatre with the Polish Theatre Journal livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 13 October at 17:00 CEST (Lublin/Berlin) / 18:00 EEST (Bucharest) / 4 p.m. BST (London) / 15:00 UTC / 11 a.m. EDT (New York) / 8 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles). Follow @HowlRoundTV and @konfrontacje on Twitter for updates.

In Conversation with Maria Striar and Michael Bulger of Clubbed Thumb
Essay

In Conversation with Maria Striar and Michael Bulger of Clubbed Thumb

16 August 2017

David Dudley talks with Maria Striar and Michael Bulger of Clubbed Thumb about how they curated a program directly after the election.

Alive from Palestine
Essay

Alive from Palestine

Other Places

13 June 2017

Gary English looks at the production Other Places by the Palestinian theatre group Al Khashabi Ensemble.

To Inflame the Civic Temper
Essay

To Inflame the Civic Temper

7 May 2017

Bari Hochwald of the Global Theatre Project discusses the need for artist activists today to “inflame the civic temper” and address the refugee crisis.

Imagining Theatre as a Town Hall Meeting
Essay

Imagining Theatre as a Town Hall Meeting

2 May 2017

Director Alex Hare discusses using a town hall format for Chains Don’t Rattle Themselves, a song cycle performance about incarceration and how it affects individuals and their families.

The “Us” of Town Hall
Essay

The “Us” of Town Hall

26 April 2017

Katie Pearl talks with Caridad Svich, a maker of work for live audiences, about the breath of theatre, the us in the room, and her new script Town Hall.

The Ghostlight Project
Video

The Ghostlight Project

Thursday 19 January 2017
Boston, MA, United States

ArtsEmerson in Boston participated in the Ghostlight Project livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 19 January at 5:30 p.m. EST (Boston)/4:30 p.m. CST (Austin)/3:30 p.m. MST (Denver)/ 2:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles). In Twitter, use #howlround to participate in the conversation and follow @howlroundtv.

The Ghostlight Project
Essay

The Ghostlight Project

12 January 2017

Saheem Ali, a steering committee member for The Ghostlight Project, outlines the inspiration for and aims of the initiative, and suggests action steps for individuals and institutions. 

American Theatre and Palestine
Essay

American Theatre and Palestine

21 December 2016

Gary English, artistic associate at The Freedom Theatre on the West Bank in the Jenin refugee camp, discusses the complications of presenting work on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in the US.

Called to Account
Video

Called to Account

The Indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair and George W. Bush for the Crime of Aggression Against Iraq

Wednesday 16 December 2016 
New York City, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented a reading Called to Account: The Indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair and George W. Bush for the Crime of Aggression Against Iraq—A Hearing livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 16 December at 3:30 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York). In Twitter, use #howlround to join the conversation.

Six Hundred and Ninety-Two Million
Essay

Six Hundred and Ninety-Two Million

On Art, Ethics, and Activism

22 October 2016

Theatre practitioner Caridad Svich on art and activism and After Orlando.

Every 28 Hours Play Festival
Video

Every 28 Hours Play Festival

Tuesday 18 October and Wednesday 19 October 2016
Bay Area, CA, United States

Every 28 Hours at A.C.T. and Berkeley Rep livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Tuesday 18 October and Wednesday 19 October at 10:00 p.m. EDT (New York) / 9:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 7:00 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles). Follow @HowlRoundTV on Twitter and share your thoughts with #howlround.

Dance the Vote
Essay

Dance the Vote

On Rapid Response, Performance, the Election, and Civic Engagement

11 October 2016

Artistic Director Joan Lipkin discusses the inspiration and process for “Dance the Vote,” a voting registration campaign in St. Louis, Missouri that included performances by local artists. 

No Pictures, Please
Essay

No Pictures, Please

Queer Theatre in Beirut / الرجاء النزول لقراءة المقال باللغة العربية

9 October 2016

Raphael Khouri writes about creating a work of queer Arab theatre in secret.

Conflicts, Ethics, and Aesthetics at IETM Satellite
Video

Conflicts, Ethics, and Aesthetics at IETM Satellite

Friday 7 October 2016
Beirut, Lebanon

IETM—international network for contemporary performing arts—presented a conversation Conflicts, Ethics, and Aesthetics​ from Beirut, Lebanon on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 7 October at 14:15-15:45 EEST (Beirut, UTC+3) / 13:15-14:45 CEST (Brussels, UTC+2) / 12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 11:15-12:45 UTC (GMT) / 7:15 a.m.-8:45 a.m. EDT (New York). Share your thoughts and join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags#ArtsFreedom and #IETMBeirut.

IETM Satellite Beirut
Video

IETM Satellite Beirut

Thursday 6 October - Sunday 9 October 2016
Beirut, Lebanon

IETM—international network for contemporary performing arts—presented a series of conversations from their Satellite Beirut 2016 convening from Beirut, Lebanon livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 6 October through Sunday 9 October.

Perspectives on Freedom of Expression in the Euro-Mediterranean Today at IETM Satellite Beirut
Video

Perspectives on Freedom of Expression in the Euro-Mediterranean Today at IETM Satellite Beirut

Thursday 6 October 2016
Beirut, Lebanon

IETM—international network for contemporary performing arts—presented a conversation Perspectives on Freedom of Expression in the Euro-Mediterranean Today from Beirut, Lebanon on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 6 October at 10:00-12:00 EEST (Beirut, UTC+3) / 09:00-11:00 CEST (Brussels, UTC+2) / 8 a.m.-10 a.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 07:00-09:00 UTC (GMT) / 3 a.m.-5 a.m. EDT (New York). Share your thoughts and join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags #ArtsFreedom and #IETMBeirut.

Is Art the Best Way to Tell the Truth? / الرجاء النزول لقراءة المقال باللغة العربية
Essay

Is Art the Best Way to Tell the Truth? / الرجاء النزول لقراءة المقال باللغة العربية

28 September 2016

Wael Qadour describes creating a piece of theatre with young people living in northern Jordan.

After Orlando
Essay

After Orlando

An International Theatre Action

23 September 2016

Blair Baker, Zac Kline, and Caridad Svich discuss how they decided to take action and mobilize artists to create theatre pieces after the Pulse Nightclub shooting.