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Political Theatre

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.

The Latest

Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
Essay
Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
by Tímea Éva Bogya, Márton Illés
27 March 2024
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
Essay
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
by Noémi Herczog, Éva Moharos
25 March 2024
How LUNG Is Breathing Radical Joy into Theatre in the United Kingdom
Essay
How LUNG Is Breathing Radical Joy into Theatre in the United Kingdom
by verity healey, Matt Woodhead, Helen Monks
5 March 2024
Green New Theater Part 6: Immediate Divestment from Fossil Fuels
Video

Green New Theater Part 6: Immediate Divestment from Fossil Fuels

Y'all, we gotta stop it

Wednesday 13 January 2021
United States

Groundwater Arts presented Green New Theater Part 7: Immediate Divestment from Fossil Fuels (ASL-interpreted) livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 13 January 2021 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) 5 p.m. MST (Colorado, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

performers on stage dancing.
Arts & Healing: Bangsokol Virtual Festival
Video

Arts & Healing: Bangsokol Virtual Festival

Seeking to honor victims of violence and explore the healing, hope and resilience of survivors

Monday 14 December to Wednesday 16 December 2020
United States

ArtsEmerson presented two conversations from Arts & Healing: Bangsokol Virtual Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 14 December and Wednesday 16 December 2020.

The Inciting Incident: Art Activism, Social Justice, and Youth Theatre after COVID
Video

The Inciting Incident: Art Activism, Social Justice, and Youth Theatre after COVID

Panel Discussion with Hallie Gordon, Barbara Pitts McAdams, Michael Rohd, and Willa Taylor

Tuesday 15 December 2020
United States

#ENOUGH presented The Inciting Incident: Art Activism, Social Justice, and Youth Theatre after COVID livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 15 December 2020 at 12 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 3 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Next Generation Voices: Social Change, Youth Activism, and Writing the Future You Want To See
Video

Next Generation Voices: Social Change, Youth Activism, and Writing the Future You Want To See

Hosted by Lauren Gunderson and featuring #ENOUGH young playwrights

Sunday 13 December 2020
United States

#ENOUGH presented Next Generation Voices: Social Change, Youth Activism & Writing the Future You Want To See after COVID livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 13 December 2020 at 3:30 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

event poster for school of resistance, episode eleven.
School of Resistance—Episode Eleven: Reproduction, Family, and the Body
Video

School of Resistance—Episode Eleven: Reproduction, Family, and the Body

Contemporary Feminist Futures With Sophie Lewis (USA) and Aleksandra Sidoruk (Poland)

Thursday 10 December 2020
Poland

NTGent presented School of Resistance, Episode Eleven: Reproduction, Family, and the Body livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 10 December 2020 at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 17:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Brussels, UTC+1) / 20:00 TRT (Istanbul, UTC +3).

black and white photo of two people in different masks facing each other through glass
Creativity in Strange Times / Creatividad en tiempos extraños
Essay

Creativity in Strange Times / Creatividad en tiempos extraños

Making Performance with a "Lockdown Aesthetic" / Haciendo las obras con un "Lockdown Estética"

2 December 2020

Cris Tengono talks about how, thanks to the pandemic, a virtual artistic world has begun to develop in Colombia—one of infinite possibilities and without borders, where nationalities do not matter—and shares some of the work that has come out of it.

Talkin’ Theatre and Justice: Global Theatremakers, Thinkers, and Their Practice
Video

Talkin’ Theatre and Justice: Global Theatremakers, Thinkers, and Their Practice

Led by fellows Jasmin Cardenas (USA), Lloyd Nyikadzino (Zimbabwe), and Hector Flores Komatsu (Mexico)

Monday 23 November 2020
United States

The Fellows at the Georgetown Lab for Global Performance and Politics presented a conversation Talkin’ Theatre and Justice: Global Theatremakers, Thinkers, and Their Practice livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 23 November at 7 a.m. PST (United States, UTC -8) / 9 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -6) / 10 a.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) .

an actor onstage
Welcome to Weimar Kunstfest
Essay

Welcome to Weimar Kunstfest

How an Arts Festival is Promoting a Better Germany

23 November 2020

verity healey recaps the multidisciplinary arts festival Kunstfest, which took place in Weimar, Germany in late August and early September this year and tackled issues such as immigration, identity, COVID-19, and the environment.

Insulted. Belarus(sia) by Andrei Kureichik
Video

Insulted. Belarus(sia) by Andrei Kureichik

Performances in Russian and English followed by a discussion of the current events that inspired the work

Tuesday 17 November to Thursday 19 November 2020
United States

Rogue Machine Theatre, Arlekin Players' Theater, Broadband, and the Cherry Orchard Festival presented readings of Insulted. Belarus(sia) in English and in Russian followed by a conversation about the political unrest in Belarus livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Tuesday 17 November to Thursday 19 November 2020.

An aerial photograph of a picnic table spanning the US Mexico border wall with people eating on either side.
ArtsLink Assembly: Radical Hospitality
Video

ArtsLink Assembly: Radical Hospitality

Resilience and thriving strategies for 2020 and beyond.

Thursday 15 October to Friday 13 November
Online

The ArtsLink Assembly convened artists, thinkers, organizations, and activists to explore resilience and thriving strategies for art and artists in the (post)-pandemic world in a series of online events and discussions. Livestreamed Thursday 15 October to Friday 13 November 2020.

a clown kissing a clear riot shield
Antiauthoritarian Clowning
Essay

Antiauthoritarian Clowning

A Tactical Review

12 November 2020

L.M. Bogad shares the story of the beginnings of Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, several tenets of “clownfrontational” tactics, examples of rebel clowning in a different contexts, and more.

three clowns posing with a handmade banner
Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción
Essay

Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción

The Experience of a Chilensis Clown Circus Theatre Company / Experiencia de una compañía chilensis de circo teatro payasx

11 November 2020

Members of Chile’s Compañía Siató—Valentina Paz Berger Correa, Jean Carlo Montecinos Carreño, Hernán Enrique Huerta Vargas, and Felipe Jesús Pereira Godoy—discuss clowning across Latin America; their show Sacrilegio, which denounces and ridicules religion, the church, and the police; the political duty of the artist; and more.

a group posing for a photo in front of a white van with "democracy" written on it
Can a Clown Be an Activist?
Essay

Can a Clown Be an Activist?

9 November 2020

Nathaniel Justiniano and Amrita Dhaliwal kick off the clown, bouffon, and activism series, talking about how the clown world has a racism problem and introducing the four contributors who practice their art around the world.

Revolt in Asturias / Rebelión in Asturias
Video

Revolt in Asturias / Rebelión in Asturias

The American Premiere reading of the 1935 first play by Albert Camus, written for Camus's anti-fascist Théâtre du Travail in Algiers

Tuesday 3 November 2020
United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented a reading of Revolt in Asturias / Rebelión in Asturias livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 3 November 2020 at 3:30 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Call and response event illustration.
Call and Response: A Black Lives Matter Q&A for Young People [ASL and Live Captions]
Video

Call and Response: A Black Lives Matter Q&A for Young People [ASL and Live Captions]

Featuring Toshi Reagon, Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson and many more...

Friday 30 October 2020
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

ArtsEmerson presented Call and Response: A Black Lives Matter Q&A for Young People featuring Toshi Reagon, Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson and many more... livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 30 October 2020 at 3:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 5:30 p.m. (Chicago, UTC -5) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 10:30 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0).

blue graphic of actor onstage against yellow background
(Re)Imagine Civic Theater (ASL interpreted and live captioned)
Video

(Re)Imagine Civic Theater (ASL interpreted and live captioned)

A series by Seattle Rep that brings artists and community leaders together

Thursday 29 October 2020
United States

Seattle Rep presented (Re)Imagine Civic Theater livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 29 October 2020 at 5 p.m. PDT (Seattle, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

portraits of panelists
"Unbought & Unbossed"
Video

"Unbought & Unbossed"

Part Three: To Be UNBOSSED ft. Hope Boykin, Dianne Smith, and Dane Figueroa Edidi

Thursday 29 October 2020
United States

NBT @ HOME presented an "Unbought & Unbossed" Conversation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 29 October at 3 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 6 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

artist headshots with text details about the event.
"Unbought & Unbossed"
Video

"Unbought & Unbossed"

Part Two: Issues Facing Black Women's Lives and Liberation Today featuring Stephanie Young, Rhonda Ross, and DeRay Mckesson

Thursday 15 October 2020
United States

NBT @ HOME presented an "Unbought & Unbossed" Conversation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 15 October at 3 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 6 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Activating the Cultural Power of a Movement
Video

Activating the Cultural Power of a Movement

Leaders from racial justice, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and economic justice groups share strategies for building movement power together

Friday 9 October 2020
United States

The US Department of Arts and Culture, Arts & Democracy, and Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY (NOCD-NY) presented the conversation Activating the Cultural Power of a Movement livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 9 October 2020 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

black woman in dress stands with arms out in front of uniformed police officers
Black and Blue 2020: Art / Activism / Transformation
Video

Black and Blue 2020: Art / Activism / Transformation

Artists, activists, and the New Orleans Police Monitor reflect on the life of Yvonne Bechet and using stories to build social movements

Monday 5 October 2020
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Yvonne Bechet Theatre Project presented a panel discussing issues raised in the play Black and Blue livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 5 October at 12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

black and white photo of policewoman with text black and blue
A Performance of Black and Blue
Video

A Performance of Black and Blue

Inspired by the real life and impact of Yvonne Bechet, who served as one of New Orleans’ first Black female police officers

Saturday 3 October 2020
United States

The Yvonne Bechet Theatre Project presented a reading of Black and Blue, a full-length play, livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 3 October at 12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

image of woman wearing mask in orange environment
ROOTS Week 2020: The Fierce Urgency of Now
Video

ROOTS Week 2020: The Fierce Urgency of Now

Annual meeting of Alternate ROOTS: a coalition committed to building a just world through arts, community, and activism

Friday 18 September to Sunday 4 October 2020
United States

Alternate ROOTS presented ROOTS Week Annual Meeting & Artists’ Retreat livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 18 September to Sunday 4 October 2020.

event description text with photo of street in chile
Conversations on Playwriting and Social Unrest in Chile
Video

Conversations on Playwriting and Social Unrest in Chile

Discussing indigenous rights and social movements in Chile

Friday 2 October 2020
United States

The Theatre Arts and Latin American and Latinx Studies Programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Interdram, the Theatrical Platform for New Playwriting, presented the second of two Conversations on Playwriting and Social Unrest in Chile livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 2 October 2020 at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 1 p.m. CLST (Santiago, UTC -3).

A Black person holding a Vote sign in front of a US flag.
Regina Taylor's VOTE!
Video

Regina Taylor's VOTE!

Presented by The Oaks Collective in collaboration with Regina Taylor. Short plays and conversation exploring the African-American community's relationship with the political process.

Thursday 1 October 2020
USA

The Oaks Collective presented the livestreamed of Regina Taylor's VOTE! event — which included short plays and conversation exploring the African-American community's relationship with the political process.

"Unbought & Unbossed"
Video

"Unbought & Unbossed"

Part One: The History of Black Women as Political Drivers ft. Shola Lynch, Candice Hoyes, and Val Jeanty

Thursday 1 October 2020
United States

NBT @ HOME presented an "Unbought & Unbossed" Conversation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 1 October at 3 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 6 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).