Content here focuses on theatremakers, companies, and projects engaging with politics and political action. A great example of the power of this work is the video series Political Theatre as a Civil Right from the British-Romanian political theatre company BÉZNĂ Theatre.
On this week's edition of Friday Phone Call, David Dower talks to Moisés Kaufman of Tectonic Theater Project about challenging assumptions about theater, how it works, and the artists who make it.
Brandon Woolf describes what he learned from taking part in the Occupy Wall Street movement at University of California Berkley, and how that applies to creating theater that embraces Occupy's spirit of public openness.
Introducing Friday Phone Call, where David Dower calls up some of the most interesting and influential voices in theater today. This week, David talks to Melanie Joseph of Foundry Theatre.
Erik Ehn furthers his exploration into theatre for social change by focusing on the vocabulary of used to create art that challenges and energizes us to rise above the trauma toward peace.
Playwright Dan O'Brien discusses the intersection between the personal and the political, and his findings which indicate that the most compelling stories come from the lives of others.
On 11 May 2026, TORCHES continues with a conversation with the award winning writer and activist V (formerly Eve Ensler) who created The Vagina Monologues and many other activist projects.
On 12 April 2026, Hungarians voted by overwhelming majority to end authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s reign. Todd London celebrates the theatre kids who helped make that happen and offers ten things we can learn from the 2020 protest movement at the University of Theater and Film Arts (SZFE).
Written in 1907, Cassandra reimagines the fall of Troy through the eyes of a prophetess cursed by Apollo to never be believed. Lesya Ukrainka’s fearless drama resonates clearly with today’s battles over propaganda, war, and truth.
Milo Rau and Servane Dècle’s “Theatre of the Real” documentary play examines the Gisèle Pelicot case in a four-hour afternoon performance with readings of documents retracing and examining this historic trial and its fight to end violence against women.
A discussion about the creation and development of The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot in collaboration with the Pelicot family’s lawyers, the court, psychological experts, legal commentators, witnesses, and feminist organizations.
Playwright Enid Brain explores the artistic and political potential of the closet drama as an alternative to restrictive new play development processes.
Ash talks with Zoe Lafferty, founder of Artists on the Frontline, about artist-led citizen journalism in Palestine’s Jenin refugee camp and the role of political documentary theatre projects in the current political climate.
People, Planet, and Performance: From the Global South to the World
A Series from Africa on Climate Emergencies, Sustainability Practice in the Arts, and Planetary Crises
This is a broad-based interdisciplinary, intercultural, and cross-sectoral exploration of climate justice within the context of theatre and performance with a focus on the Global South.
Series
Safe Havens Freedom Talks
Conversations about threats towards artistic freedom, free press and intangible heritage
Guests in the Freedom Talks series are highly knowledgeable and prolific actors in the global Arts Rights Justice sector, fighting for artistic freedom.
This series features a selection of folx from around the world who are all part of a long and diverse heritage of clown activists who subvert bigots and in cultivate hope in hard-hit communities. From rural villages to urban centers, from popular protests to refugee camps, each of our contributors use grit and humor to activate their communities toward equity and justice.
Series
NBT @ HOME Presents An "Unbought & Unbossed" Conversation
A digital conversation series about the dynamic legacy of Shirley Chisholm and reclaiming our vote.
In tandem with its curated micro-commission series, "Unbought & Unbossed: Reclaiming Our Vote," National Black Theatre is hosting three NBT @ HOME conversations with its commissioned artists as well as community leaders and historians about the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, combating voter suppression, and our power to reclaim our vote.
Glod: Political Theatre as a Civil Right is a series of political theatre screenings from around the world including from Romania, Lebanon, UK, Mexico, Palestine and Jordan. Join us every two weeks in solidarity with artists, activists and academics resisting from the ground.
Each of the dialogues in this series speaks of the connection between political activism, creativity, and spirituality— and highlights the importance of intergenerational knowledge-sharing for the future of the Live Arts and Theatre sectors of the UK.
Decolonizing Theatre Practice / Decolonarizar Practicas de Teatro
This series explores ways in which theatre artists can decolonize their practice and the field.
Series
Art in the Age of Populism
IETM Brussels
Populism may be considered as an ideology, a movement, or simply a style. Some may perceive it as a weapon against democracy, because it shrinks the space for plurality; some may view it as democracy's last vessel of hope, because it brings politics closer to the people. This series explores how the Belgian arts sector confronts this complex phenomenon.
