• ANNUAL SUMMER T.O. TRAINING
We are currently taking registrations for our annual summer T.O. training intensive in Port Townsend, WA. See the following for basics. More details will be sent via separate e-mail or contact us directly: info@mandalaforchange.com or 360-344-3435.
(Note: We are not offering our Advanced T.O. training this summer. Cheryl and Marc are in discussion on how best to train people to facilitate the Multi-cultural Dialogue work and intend to offer some form of training in the near future.)

THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED FACILITATOR’S TRAINING:
WAGING PEACE - DESIGNING JUSTICE
Mon, June 26th – Sat, July 1st, 2006
Our 8th annual version of this 6-day training will focus on community building games, Image Theatre, Forum Theatre, some Rainbow of Desire techniques, and will culminate in an interactive public Forum Theatre performance / community dialogue around social justice issues on Friday night. For beginner as well as more experienced practitioners seeking to deepen their work.
Facilitated by Marc Weinblatt
US$400; $350 if registered before 5/15 -- $100 non-refundable registration required to hold space.
($$ arrangements available based on need; no one turned away.)

• CURRENT PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Current and upcoming projects of the Mandala Center include:

1) Theatre & Social Justice residency at the Jefferson Community School in Port Townsend, WA. January – February 2006.
Marc Weinblatt uses theatre and other experiential techniques to prepare Middle and High School student groups for cultural exchange trips to Thailand, Mexico, and the Gullah community of St. Helena Island, South Carolina. In addition, Marc will travel with the latter group in early March offering T.O. based explorations with a combined group of Port Townsend teens and their Gullah counterparts. The Gullah/Geechee people, who inhabit the Sea Islands off South Carolina and Georgia, are descendents of former slaves and have retained much of their West African culture for the past 150 years. http://www.geocities.com/gullahpride

2) Anti-Oppression workshops for Global Visionaries in Seattle, WA – Jan. 14th and March 18th. Cheryl Harrison and Marc Weinblatt co-facilitate 1-day workshops to prepare Seattle area teens for their upcoming service trips to Guatemala. Continuing our long-term relationship with GV, these workshops use T.O. as well as participatory diversity education tools to generate dialogue around racism, classism, nationalism, and imperialism as it relates to the students’ lives at home and as U.S. travelers in rural Central America. Building anti-oppression awareness into their curriculum is a testament to GV director Chris Fontana’s uncommon dedication to healthy service work and education. See http://www.global-visionaries.org for more details on GV’s program.

3) Anti-racism workshop at University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI – February 18-19.
Cheryl Harrison and Marc Weinblatt spend 2 days with Action Dialogue, a group of student anti-racist activists, plus representatives from other campus organizations. Focus will be using T.O. techniques to address racism within their own community as well as increasing their skills in facilitating anti-racism trainings. Organized by Elaine Prevenas of Action Dialogue.

4) T.O. workshops at University of Georgia, Athens, GA – March 1 & 2.
Marc Weinblatt facilitates 3 T.O. events sponsored by TELL – Teachers for English Language Learners:
• Intro to the Theater of the Oppressed & Multicultural-Multilingual Dialogue
• Theater of the Oppressed for Facilitators
• Rainbow of Desire Workshop
Organized by Melisa Cahnmann. www.coe.uga.edu/tell/

5) Multi-cultural Dialogue / Anti-oppression workshop for Amnesty International in Atlanta, GA. March 3-5, 2006. Marc Weinblatt and Cheryl Harrison co-facilitate a 3-day T.O. based dialogue on the race, class, gender, etc. for members of Amnesty’s national staff and volunteers. Organized by Laura Moye.
6) Anti-racism workshop for Wheaton College faculty, Wheaton, MA – May 2006. Details TBA.

• “POETIC JUSTICE THEATRE ENSEMBLE” UPDATE & EVENTS
The Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble, a community service project of the Mandala Center, recently auditioned and cast 3 new actor/activists. Welcome to: D.J. Adams, Sheffield Edgerton, and Daniel Nidzgorski! A dedicated multi-generational team, our current 11 members range in age from 17-77 years old. Now in our 4th season, this troupe's focus is on stimulating community dialogue and inviting positive action around burning social issues. In our improvisational performances, which combine Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theatre techniques, audience members are not spectators but spect-actors -- invited to share their stories and ultimately invited onstage to explore solutions to their own questions and struggles. Our active ensemble members are:
D.J. Adams
Karolina Anderson
Erica Brunquist
Laurence Cole (musician)
Sheffield Edgerton
Camille Hildebrandt
Daniel Nidzgorski
Becky Plant
Anna Smith
Marc Weinblatt
Tom Wilson

Thanks to a generous donation from Kert Peterson, in honor of his late grandmother, Mabel Harrison, Poetic Justice is launching a project and tour to generate dialogue around senior/elder issues. Five interactive performances are planned for this spring – four in various local senior residences / assisted living centers plus one open to the general public focused on how to be an effective ally with elders in our community. Contact us for more details on this project that is still in development.

Some other PJTE performances / partnerships anticipated for this spring include:
• DASH (Disability Awareness Starts Here) – One performance for an audience of people living with disabilities and their caregivers (March 29th) and another open the general public focused on allyship around disability (April 20th.)
• Jefferson County Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault – performance focused on addressing sexual assault and related issues. Specifics TBA.
• Peninsula Pride Alliance – performance(s) focused on GLBTQ issues. Specifics TBA.
• Teen Peace – performance focused on military counter recruitment in high school. Specifics TBA.
All above performances will be in the Port Townsend area and free or by donation. Though some will be open to the public, these events are oriented for specific audiences around shared concerns. Please contact us for more information if one of these events is relevant to you and you wish to attend.