Our Team   Marc Weinblatt - Founder & Director       Marc has been a professional educator, theatre artist, activist, and workshop facilitator since 1980 having extensive experience with both adults and youth. Formerly Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Public Theatre, Marc is an internationally recognized leader in the use of Augusto Boal’s ground breaking Theater of the Oppressed (T.O.) to stimulate community dialogue and social change. He has worked with diverse communities ranging from police to homeless youth, grassroots organizers and laborers to University deans. Internationally, Marc has worked with theatre activists in Canada, refugees in Azerbaijan, construction workers in South Africa, slum families in India, actors in the Republic of Congo, and victims of war, among others, in Afghanistan. Marc was recently named "Cultural Envoy" by the U.S. State Department for his work in the Congo in spring 2010.Marc regularly facilitates T.O. based diversity / anti-oppression workshops in a wide variety of contexts across the U.S. with a commitment to bringing a deep sense of spirit and humanity into social justice work. He also directs the multi-generational Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble which incorporates T.O. and Playback Theatre techniques to generate community dialogue on burning social issues. One of Augusto Boal's “multipliers”, Marc has trained thousands of people in the use of Theatre of the Oppressed techniques through his classes and annual week-long intensive trainings since the early 1990's.     Cheryl Harrison - Associate Artist       Former founding member of Seattle Public Theater's Theater of Liberation Ensemble, Cheryl has been active in anti-oppression and empowerment work with people of all ages since the mid 1980's and has designed and facilitated workshops and trainings locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Using music, theater, lectures, and a variety of experiential activities both Theater of the Oppressed based as well as non-T.O. based, Cheryl has worked with a wide array of organizations and communities such as homeless youth and other marginalized social groups, domestic violence survivors, school age youth, nurses, work transition programs (YWCA), as well as universities and colleges. Some agencies and organizations include the State of Washington (DSHS and Department of Labor and Industries) the International Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed Conferences in New York, Nebraska, and Ohio, University of Minnesota, Kellogg Fellows, ACLU, Amnesty International, Wheaton College, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), University of South Florida, Global Visionaries, Power of Hope, Labor Center at The Evergreen State College, and the Eastside Domestic Violence Program among others. Through her work Cheryl is committed to facilitating self-awareness and empowerment for individuals and communities as a means to create a world which values equity, understanding and compassion for all peoples around the world.       Zhaleh Almaee - Associate Artist     Involved in theatre since 1987 in Philadelphia; Zhaleh has studied, taught and performed social change theatre in diverse communities ranging from Boston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, along with Omaha, Alaska, and Portland. She lives a magical life in Port Townsend, WA where she works with the Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble and creatively collaborates with local people and projects. An advisor and organizer for the Playback North America network, she coordinates a mentor and coaching program to enable emerging and seasoned playback practitioners to increase their mutual support and connection for effective risk-taking and inspired growth. Zhaleh applies theater for dialogue and reconciliation; she has a passion for Rites of Passage work and storytelling as a way to strengthen the fabric of communities, reveal collective truths and wisdom, and take actions toward a more just and sustainable way of life. She is a skilled and attuned facilitator who has worked with a range of communities doing Playback, T.O. and/or applied theatre practices. Communities such as: formerly incarcerated people, hospice care workers, GLBTQ youth, interfaith councils, faculty and students in universities, substance recovery programs and cancer survivors. Her background and training includes Non-Violent Communication, Drama Therapy, and Theater of the Oppressed. It is her intention to support lifestyles of joy and connection and help foster a culture of possibility.     Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble       Our multi-generational team of actor/activists. We offer interactive performances, featuring a unique blend of Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theatre, as a tool for community dialogue and social change. The 2010-11 Ensemble features: Kai Addae Zhaleh Almaee Ashnie Butler Leif Hansen Alana Karsch Shawn Kellogg Gary Lilley Amanda Lujan Raven McMillen Emily Neumann Richard Sloane Marc Weinblatt DD Wigley