Political Theatre & Performance
Activism
Category
Activism is the intervention of an individual or group, using varied tactics, to disrupt and challenge inequality, and create transformation in the social, political, cultural or economic realm.
Video
Lisa Mayo of the Kuna and Rappahannock Nations was a founding member of the Native
American women’s feminist theatre group, Spiderwoman Theater. She was a singer,
actor, and playwright who wrote and performed with Spiderwoman Theater for 35
years.
Video
Kwei-Armah discusses the impact of August Wilson’s work, including Gem of the Ocean, and attitudes towards African-American and Afro-Caribbean drama.
Video
Strindberg Laboratory’s “demonstration project” through California
Arts Council’s “Prison Project” involving people who are about to be released
back into society.
Video
Conquest and Prison is a two-part suite of site-specific dance films set
in Grahamstown, South Africa. The two oldest historical sites in Grahamstown are Ft.
Selwyn and the Old Gaol, which imprisoned thousands of black South Africans. The
choreography of Part I "Oscar's Journey" is Oscar Buthelezi's personal response to the
history of colonialism commemorated at Ft. Selwyn. Part II "Child's Play" is similar to
the approach in "Oscar's Journey." "Chorographers Lorin Sookool and Julia Wilson reflect
on the past as the sounds and images of the gaol continue to echo and resonate today.
Video
A work that built on Baker’s experience of using autobiographical materials in performances such as My Cooking Competes, blending this with a commentary on domesticity, motherhood and art.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This clip represents, in the artist’s own words, ‘a performative investigation in artificial identity, representation, doppelgangers, drag and the fluid borders of authorship and collaboration’.
Video
Since 1981, I have been conducting research on black women behind the scenes in the
American theatre. As a black female lighting designer, I am aware of our
invisibility within the larger American theatre and have made an effort to expose
these women to a wider audience. I have interviewed numerous black women who have
made significant contributions to American theatre. These women include designers,
producers, directors, playwrights, artistic directors, and other individuals working
behind the scenes. Dr. Teer (1937-2008) was a professional actress, director,
producer, and visionary. Born in the predominantly black city of East St. Louis,
Illinois, Teer was surrounded by a family of community activists, entrepreneurs,
artists, and educators. Her family and community environment shaped her future in
the arts. Considered a genius, she graduated from the University of Illinois at the
age of 19. Having had a professional career both in dance and acting on Broadway,
off-Broadway, film, and television, she became disillusioned with the roles
available for black women. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Teer founded the National Black
Theatre (NBT) in 1968, making it the first revenue-generating black theatre complex
in the U.S. She believed it vital that NBT be situated in Harlem, where it would
serve and empower the black community. Dr. Teer began to develop her own acting
methods, breaking from traditional western styles. She called her theatre a temple
and her actors liberators. She broke the fourth wall to include the audience. She
created NBT as a cultural institution – a place where one could be educated and
entertained simultaneously. She travelled to Africa and brought back many aspects of
the culture to incorporate into her productions. Dr. Teer was indeed a pioneer. In
2016, NBT celebrated 48 years as an institution.
Video
Since 1981, I have been conducting research on black women behind the scenes in the
American theatre. As a black female lighting designer, I am aware of our
invisibility within the larger American theatre and have made an effort to expose
these women to a wider audience. I have interviewed numerous black women who have
made significant contributions to the American theatre. These women include
designers, producers, directors, playwrights, artistic directors, and other
individuals working behind the scenes. This is a rare interview I conducted with
Glenda Dickerson (1945-2012) during a rehearsal of her adaptation of The Trojan
Women, performed with an all-black cast during January 1983. This interview
is very dear to me as Dickerson was a mentor. I followed her career with various
interviews, tapings at conferences, and the publication of one of her plays. Glenda
Dickerson was a director, folklorist, actress, adapter/conceiver, and educator. With
a career of nearly 40 years she was known for her unique adaptations of Greek
classics, African American folktales, the feminist theatre approach, and ensemble
work. She was the second black woman to direct on Broadway with the 1980 musical
Reggae. Her work has also been presented nationally and
internationally. In the commercial arena she was constantly presented with racial
and gender challenges. After working in mainstream theatre for many years, Dickerson
chose to focus her talents on educational and community-oriented theatre. She also
began to concentrate on feminist/womanist theatre. She taught at Howard University,
Spelman, Rutgers, and the University of Michigan. Only in recent years is her work
finally gaining recognition, but as with many other black women, Dickerson’s
contributions are largely unknown.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
Lisa Mayo: Between the Layers is an interview reflecting on the training, accomplishments, experiences, and the life of Lisa Mayo.
Video
Pangaean Dreams is a multimedia piece which leads the audience on a shamanic journey back 250 million years to the time when the earth’s continents were all fused into one.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Video
This 1994 clip documents performance activist Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s work with his organisation, the international performance troupe La Pocha Nostra.
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Audio
‘Each recorded text reveals a paradigm shift and an emotional faultline in my biographical journey to the North and my scary journey to the heart of the US Art World. This is one such audio text.’
Practitioner
Ewa Benesz worked at Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre from 1966–8, joining the company again in the eighties. She has engaged in a wide range of performance experiments focussing on theatre’s roots.
Practitioner
Guillermo Gómez-Peña is an artist, writer, activist, radical pedagogue and director of the performance troupe La Pocha Nostra. His work has contributed to debates on diversity and border culture.
Related Items
Practitioner
Guillermo Gómez-Peña is an artist, writer, activist, radical pedagogue and director of the performance troupe La Pocha Nostra. His work has contributed to debates on diversity and border culture.
Category
Throughout the 20th century, feminist performance has interrogated the ways women’s conventional representation is often derogatory, or exploitative, reproducing scenes of female disempowerment.