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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
The Omsk Drama Theatre.
Postcards from Russia 3
Essay

Postcards from Russia 3

Omsk

10 June 2013

Christopher W. White reports on his visit to the provincial city of Omsk, Russia.

Cover for a collection of 24 Gun Control Plays.
Toward a Peaceful Theater
Essay

Toward a Peaceful Theater

30 May 2013

NoPassport collaborates with The Vicious Circle for Gun Control Theatre/New Media Action Week to keep the dialoge through art alive on the subject of gun reform globally

Candid photo from President Obama's 2012 victory speech.
Does the American Theater Have the Same Problem as the GOP?
Essay

Does the American Theater Have the Same Problem as the GOP?

23 May 2013

By examining audience and leadership demographics, Rebecca Stevens draws a comparison between the GOP and American theatre.

Turning History Into Reality
Essay

Turning History Into Reality

30 April 2013

Jacob Juntunen writes about the moral implications of turning fact into fiction – and the different ways we measure the ethical impact of these decisions based on medium.

Still from a production of Love's Labour's Lost.
The Play's a Thing
Essay

The Play's a Thing

28 April 2013

Alex Ates writes of a production of Love's Labour's Lost during the Boston Marathon Bombing, and the healing and cathartic qualities of community theater.

A woman wearing a mask and a man with his finger over her mouth.
When Expectations Collide
Essay

When Expectations Collide

26 March 2013

It was a cold and familiar shift. This group, when introduced to my six-foot-tall, African American, Ivy League–educated, world-traveled self, had perceived me as one thing. I could see they were now reassessing me as someone very different. My status as an outsider quickly solidified.

Invitation
Essay

Invitation

Erik Ehn, Caridad Svich and their Collaborators

21 March 2013
Banner logo for Georgetown School of Foreign Service.
Interview with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider by Jojo Ruf
Essay

Interview with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider by Jojo Ruf

18 March 2013

Jojo Ruf chats with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider about founding the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University.

Photo of Karen Malpede posing with two dogs.
Another Life and the Truth about Torture
Essay

Another Life and the Truth about Torture

25 February 2013

In this meditation, Karen Malpede offers an investigation of torture and how it can be imitated onstage.

Re-Imagining the Imagination (A Meditation on Unicorns)
Essay

Re-Imagining the Imagination (A Meditation on Unicorns)

12 February 2013

Nia Witherspoon writes on the importance of unicorns in the American theatre: the importance of being different, resilient, and with one's hooves permenantly stuck in the dirt.

The Twitter logo.
Weekly Howl on Thursday, January 24
Essay

Weekly Howl on Thursday, January 24

Guns and Your Aesthetics and Ethics as a Theatremaker and Culture Producer

22 January 2013

This week's Howl questions the relationship between guns and violence in theatre, and violence in the real-world

Logo for Network Ensemble Theaters.
MicroFest USA: New Orleans at the Network of Ensemble Theaters
Video

MicroFest USA: New Orleans at the Network of Ensemble Theaters

Friday 18 January - Sunday 20 January 2013
New Orleans, LA, United States

Network of Ensemble Theaters' MicroFest USA: New Orleans was livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 18 January to Sunday 20 January 2013.

The Evolution of The Graduates
Essay

The Evolution of The Graduates

19 January 2013

Randals writes about theatre created by women who have personal relationships with America’s criminal justice system who seek to inform their audiences to incarceration’s effects.

An actor kneels on a tilted chair with their other leg extended, which a second actor holds while two more actors watch.
LEAN IN
Essay

LEAN IN

Sojourn Theatre, Civic Practice & Catholic Charities USA

12 January 2013
Event Banner for Under the Radar.
Under the Radar Festival 2013 (#UTR13) & Culturebot at The Public
Video

Under the Radar Festival 2013 (#UTR13) & Culturebot at The Public

Thursday 10 January to Sunday 13 January 2013
New York, NY, United States

The Public Theater presented panels on the arts during economic crisis and the work of socially conscious performance at the Under the Radar Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Thursday 10 January to Sunday 13 January 2013.

Portrait of Deanna Downes.
Party People
Essay

Party People

A Revolution Not Yet Dead

27 December 2012

Deanna Downes on her experience assisting in the development of Party People, and the lessons she is carrying into her own work as a director.

Portrait of president John Adams.
The Lessons of History
Essay

The Lessons of History

Some Post-Election Thoughts

19 November 2012

In light of the 2012 presidential election, P. Carl reflects on the importance of public service.

reorient logo
ReOrient 2012 Theatre Festival and Forum at Golden Thread
Video

ReOrient 2012 Theatre Festival and Forum at Golden Thread

Saturday 17 November and Sunday 18 November 2012
San Francisco, CA, United States

Golden Thread presented the Reorient 2012 Theatre Festival and Forum livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 17 November and Sunday 18 November 2012.

The Republican elephant.
How “Right” is Right?
Essay

How “Right” is Right?

Conservative Voices in Theater

6 November 2012

Daniel Jones explores the illusive idea of a conservative playwright: is the theater, in essence, a liberal pursuit?

Photo of a red ribbon on a hand.
Making the Radical Palatable
Essay

Making the Radical Palatable

The Normal Heart and the AIDS Crisis

5 November 2012

Jacob Juntunen sheds insight on how The Normal Heart illuminated the AIDS crisis in 1985.

An actor onstage.
Lessons from the Road
Essay

Lessons from the Road

7 Theaters, 17 Military Bases, 8 Hospitals, and 4 Conferences Later, How a Girl Fell in Love with Touring

15 October 2012

KJ Sanchez talks about taking her theatre comany on tour and what she learned along the way.

Index on Censorship's logo.
Help Theater Producer David Cecil in Uganda Case
Essay

Help Theater Producer David Cecil in Uganda Case

19 September 2012

A call to action from Young Vic, concerning the imprisionment of producer David Cecil in Uganda.

A large group of people with a sign that reads "Occupy Everything" behind them.
Mic Check
Essay

Mic Check

Occupy #S17 with The Civilians

25 August 2012

Using the power of art to move and transform, inspire and activate, Occupy #S17 will be an opportunity to reflect on the importance of Occupy, what it has accomplished in the past year, and where it goes from here.

Several people walking in a line down a sidewalk in a park.
SITSTANDWALKLIEDOWN
Essay

SITSTANDWALKLIEDOWN

23 August 2012

Phil Soltanoff writes about SITSTANDWALKLIEDOWN, and how performance art can make us think about how we live, work, and occupy public space.

Photo of the John Jay School of Criminal Justice.
Why Theater Matters to Criminal Justice Students
Essay

Why Theater Matters to Criminal Justice Students

A Discussion between Seth Baumrin & Karen Malpede

20 August 2012

Seth Baumrin and Karen Malpede chat about why theatre matters to Criminal Justice students.