Anti-oppression Work with Playback and Theatre of the Oppressed

Playback North America Publications

Summary

The Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble, founded in 2001, is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational (teens to elders) team of actor-activists. It is a community service program of the Mandala Center for Change. Zhaleh Almaee and Marc Weinblatt, co-directors of Mandala Center, work with the ensemble to offer interactive performances that use Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), Playback Theatre (PT), or a combination of the two, as tools for community dialogue, societal healing, and social justice.

Each year, members of Poetic Justice explore social identities and issues alive within their own group as themes for public performances. They also solicit and respond to requests from the wider community, ultimately prioritizing their events around burning local issues. Much of their work centers around topics where at least some members of the Ensemble understand the struggle based on their own lived experience.

The Ensemble has done a range of performances on many social issues such as: war, racism, poverty, LGBTQ issues, Islamophobia, Indigenous rights, silencing of youth, domestic violence, the climate crisis, access to healthcare, substance abuse, the intersection of gun control and race, and many others. As they are based in a predominantly White community in the Pacific Northwest, they have done many projects on White privilege. Some of their events are pure Playback Theatre (PT), and some are pure Theatre of the Oppressed (TO): Forum Theatre, Rainbow of Desire, or Legislative Theatre, while some events combine PT and TO. Some events start with Playback and then move into TO’s Forum Theatre, so audience members can not only access feelings and share stories, but also explore possible ways to take action. Other show start with TO and move into PT,

How we developed this work

Marc: I entered Applied Theatre work as a theatre director and social justice activist in 1990. I joined the Board and then the staff at the Seattle Public Theatre (SPT), where I was immediately lit by Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), which was virtually unknown in the U.S. at that time. TO or “Theatre of Liberation” (TOL), as we called it, spoke to me because of its explicit social justice focus and because it was a theatre for dialogue (rather than “agit-prop” theatre, used for political advocacy). I was invited to build a program and started the Theatre of Liberation Ensemble: a mostly BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) team. Almost immediately, I also learned of Playback Theatre through Threshold Ensemble, a Playback company which was rehearsing two doors down from our theatre space. I quickly fell in love with Playback as well. One actor at Threshold auditioned for and joined our Theatre of Liberation Ensemble in 1992 and taught us Playback, which we integrated with our TO/TOL work. I have been actively combining and teaching TO & PT ever since.

Zhaleh: My love for Applied Theatre has been a slow cook over a lifetime of cultivating my craft in theatre arts, spiritual activism, and social change organizing. I began my career in Playback Theatre in 2006 and joined Poetic Justice in 2010 after having been active in two previous Playback Theatre companies (True Story Theater, Boston and Portland Playback, Oregon). Poetic Justice’s events, combining Playback Theatre with Theatre of the Oppressed, created a whole new artistic repertoire and methodology for serving communities. As a new ensemble member, I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified! I quickly recognized a sense of personal empowerment as a social change theatre artist and facilitator seeing the potential of doing both forms. Poetic Justice has been a creative community with fertile ground for me to experiment artistically, grow as a facilitator, and ongoingly study to better understand and deconstruct power, privilege, and oppression. I am always integrating new learning along the way and it’s never uninteresting.

Marc & Zhaleh: The two bodies of TO and PT work have different strengths. Playback’s superpower is honoring personal stories. Sometimes the simple honoring of stories, particularly stories from marginalized people whose voices are often unheard, can lead to profound healing, learning, and even social change. TO’s superpower is an invitation to action, a rehearsal for the future, which Playback does not offer. TO is specifically designed for non-actors and is usually performed by community members, many of whom have never done theatre before. This makes it more versatile than Playback alone, and, for some people, more accessible. Like having a good tool box, we’ve found different tools are helpful for different tasks, as we face diverse challenges of social justice work.

Learning from our experiences

Zhaleh: In 2016, we did a public Playback Theatre show, “Our Indigenous Legacy: Struggle, Survival, Moving Forward.” Even though no one in our cast identified as being of Indigenous descent, we decided to accept the community’s request for a show on this theme to help amplify voices of Indigenous People and to support awareness of Indigenous People’s Day. We also saw this as an opportunity to do our personal work around decolonization. The local library, which showcased Indigenous authors and crafts people as well as a local Native rights group, helped to promote the event, and a local community arts center hosted it.

In our rehearsals, we sought ways to personally relate to the theme, exploring our relationship to colonialism, what it means to carry on a legacy of settlers living on Coast Salish territory, and our beliefs and attitudes toward Native people and culture in the United States. We spent time examining internalized privilege using TO’s Cop-in-the-Head structure. We also took time to educate ourselves about our town’s local history as it relates to the resilience and oppression of the S’Klallam, Chimicum, and Makah People and Coast Salish tribes who have lived here for countless generations.

I had been participating in local Native-led environmental rights organizing in my community leading up to the show. I had built relationships with a few Native folx whom I could directly invite and engage their input for the event. Even though we did not have Indigenous representation among our Ensemble, we viewed the event as an opportunity to build and deepen relationships and expand our awareness as an ensemble of the issues Native communities face both locally, nationally, and historically, including our unique role in the narrative as non-Native people.

Marc: Out of an audience of 65 people, about 15 identified as being Indigenous. Very aware of my being a White man conducting a show on Native issues, I explicitly invited Indigenous people to offer stories first, if they wished. I explained that in dominant U.S. culture, Indigenous people’s voices have been historically and continue to be marginalized, silenced, invisibled. I restated this in several different ways at the beginning of our performance so it could not be misunderstood. Yet when it came to taking stories, the first hand up was from someone who appeared to be a White guy.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but as he started telling his story, it became apparent to me that he wasn’t of Native descent. I stopped the telling to check in with him and he confirmed that, in fact, he wasn’t. I then broke what I understand to be an unwritten but cardinal rule of Playback and asked that he hold his story until later in the show, because we were committed to hearing Native voices first. He willingly withdrew, and we did then hear several Indigenous people’s stories – very beautiful and important stories.

When we circled back around to the White teller, his story was actually a bit triggering to some people in the audience. I had to work with him, walking a very fine line of honoring his story and not shaming him, while actively naming the spots that he was clearly lacking in awareness. If we had allowed his story first or not named some of the racialized problems with it, we might have lost the trust of the Indigenous members of our audience. We would have been replicating the harm that dominant U.S. culture does, even if unintentionally, all the time.

Given the current state of the U.S. and my own evolution with social justice, particularly around race, I probably would not conduct that show now. Although by all accounts it seemed to be a very positive event, I believe it would have been better served with an Indigenous conductor, or at least co- conductor. As a White man I know I need to step back. I feel a genuine responsibility and commitment to train and support BIPOC leadership. We, at the Mandala Center, are reconsidering everything at this point, from our Poetic Justice work to our methodologies and our organizational structure. If we are to achieve true social change, how we do the work may also need to change.

Zhaleh: I was an actor in this show. I was cast to be the Teller’s Actor in a very emotionally painful story told by an older Indigenous person. Knowing that I lack lived experience as a non-Native person, I deliberately slowed down the acting and relied on metaphor, song, and movement as ways to honor the story. I also brought in other actors as social forces in the story, which enabled a key moment in the enactment when I took an acting risk and spoke of deep grief related to colonization as a Native person to another actor who was playing the White colonizer. Afterwards I heard from the teller privately how meaningful that moment was and they acknowledged the sense of being deeply seen and heard.

I have watched actors take liberties to embody tellers’ oppressions when they are ignorant about the issues, and have seen audience members feel more offended than heard, even on subtle levels that may go unnoticed. We work hard in our ensemble to train ourselves to notice these moments. One way we do this is by naming it in the rehearsal process when it happens. We also work to create a shared anti-oppression language and framework, and operate from a place of compassion, instead of shame, to create a generative and supportive space. When oversights happen during a performance, we have found it helpful to name the power dynamics and at times, try for a “take two” with the re-enactment. I’ve also watched actors, when they do understand the oppression, take a risk that a teller hasn’t acknowledged directly, and seen the Playback totally align.

Marc: Years ago, while working with Seattle Public Theatre’s TOL Ensemble, an East Indian immigrant told a story of being treated as invisible by a used car salesman—clearly a racial moment. He told his story with little emotion, in a virtual monotone. I enacted a part of him that that I sensed lived in his story, screaming with rage (the “F**k You” archetype). Afterwards, with tears welling in his eyes, the teller said softly, “Yes. That’s it. That’s how I felt.” Even if we don’t share a teller’s lived experience, we can take risks as performers to enact the full intensity of what marginalized people have experienced. And to stay humble if/when we get it “wrong.”

Zhaleh: Within the ensemble, every year, I participate in an exercise called “The Power Shuffle” which invites each person to reflect on their social group membership including: race, gender, sexual orientation, class, ability/disability, religion, and age. The process can be very vulnerable and tender. After the exercise we begin the debrief using Image Theatre relying on our bodies, instead of our words, to tell the stories that come with being seen in one’s marginalization as well as one’s agency, or privilege. It is not always easy or comfortable to navigate, but it is worth it both on a personal level as well as for the health and evolution of the group. No one escapes the need to be seen or heard, and this drives my passion for Playback Theatre as well as my ongoing commitment to apply an anti- oppression framework in my artistry and my life.

Poetic Justice is multi-generational; we work to prioritize the representation of teens every season. The 2018-19 Poetic Justice season had a special teen initiative where we developed relationships with young people in our community and invited many more than usual to audition and join us as actor-activists in the Ensemble. Everything we did that season was driven by the interests of the teens within the group. We asked all the adults in the ensemble to raise their awareness and create space for the leadership of the teens. This practice of bringing consciousness to power structures related to adultism was a healthy workout both for the adults and teens. There was trauma and important stories to tell from both sides. It was necessary to slow down, which shifted focus from productivity to process. Some strategies to be present with what was coming up included: doing separate caucus work with the adults and teens, naming dynamics in the moment when there was tension, and offering support outside of rehearsals. Ultimately, we created a powerful Rainbow of Desire event, “Shout Out or Shut Down”, a community dialogue between teens and adults, and a teen driven Forum Theatre play, “Under Pressure: Teen Overwhelm, Survival and Resilience,” which was in partnership with the local middle and high schools.

We have also done a lot of work around gender issues, supported by transgender / non-binary ensemble members. I was honored to support as a community organizer some of our ensemble members in Mandala Center’s Transgender Youth Legislative Theatre project. This project helped me better understand my own gender politics and to build relationships within the community. Being part of Poetic Justice has deepened my commitment as an artist and organizer to prioritize relationships: to take extra time to learn about the beauty, culture and challenges different communities face; to discover how to support or advocate in an informed way; and to apply creative and embodied approaches to community dialogues and direct action.

Zhaleh & Marc: Social justice is not just a topic; it’s an approach to life. It is a lifetime of work which takes ongoing attention and growth. In anti-oppression work, no one graduates from this course. We’ve focused on social justice and anti-oppression issues for decades, constantly working to grow our awareness, stay humble, and regularly return to a “beginner’s mind” as we deepen our learning. We are informed by the changing times, and we keep discovering ways to do the personal healing necessary to stay present and available for the work. We are committed for the long haul.

Building an ensemble with a social justice / anti-oppression heart

When considering new members for the Ensemble, we cast by full consensus with every current member agreeing that every new person joining will be a good fit. As with everything we do, we pay particular attention to marginalized perspectives. For example, one year at casting after auditions, a teen female Ensemble member expressed discomfort around an older man we were considering for the company. We honored her request to not cast that man, without her needing to explain herself. Another year, one of our BIPOC members said that she was open to casting one more White man but not more. The emotional labor of educating White men about race would take too much of a toll on her.

While not always possible, we try to have more than one actor from a notably marginalized group in the Ensemble. Having only one teen or transgender or BIPOC person puts a lot of pressure on that individual to speak for all people in that social group, which of course is not possible. One year, we had six teens in the Ensemble, and we were able to do very deep work honoring youth voices. There is a fine line between tokenism and authentic representation. We strive for the latter.

Near the beginning of each season, we hold a retreat to integrate new company members. During the retreat we focus on anti-oppression theory and its application, to ensure we all have the same information and to explore together how knowledge of oppression relates to doing Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed. We take time for explicit anti-oppression learning throughout the season, especially if we are preparing for a performance on a highly-charged issue.

Economic access for our audiences, workshop participants, and community partners is built into everything we do. We joke that our business model is the “Robin Hood School of Social Change.” We charge more to those who have means and give it away to those who don’t. For public workshops and trainings, we have a financial aid policy that invites people who can’t afford to pay the full price, to self-determine what they are able to pay, based on their needs, no questions asked. Locally, all of our performances are free or by donation. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

Because we are structured as an LLC, not a tax-exempt nonprofit, we are not able to apply for many grants. We have gotten regular funding from our local Port Townsend Arts Commission because they believe in our work and see us as a local community resource. We also invite individual donations to fund specific projects and have received support from many people through direct personal asks, crowd-funding campaigns, and even a simple PayPal button on our website. One of our current priorities is funding support for BIPOC leadership, including BIPOC facilitators. We believe it is essential to find creative ways outside of a capitalistic structure to direct funding in support of leadership of color. Some ways we do this include: directing proceeds from workshops to the BIPOC leadership fund, inviting White people to donate as a form of micro-reparations, and organizing BIPOC caucuses.

Recommendations to companies developing anti-oppression work

● Build common values: To do effective Playback with a social justice focus, all members of the company need a power-based analysis of the -isms: racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, etc. Anti-oppression consciousness is essential in order to do effective performances and workshops that do not re-wound people in the audience. Although social justice doesn’t need to be the center of your company, we recommended that you make a clear commitment to include it in your shared values.

●  Prioritize bringing in ensemble members who add demographic diversity, who have demonstrated self-inquiry about identity work, and who have shown a willingness to learn in groups. Because everyone enters at a different level of skill and awareness, slow down in rehearsal or find ways outside of rehearsals to support a member’s self-inquiry.

●  No matter what you are leading—a physical warm up, check-ins with a partner, a theatre game, or listening to stories—attend to how oppression can show up. For example, name power dynamics, give permission to participate at your own level of comfort, make time for debrief after exercises ensuring there’s room to hear from marginalized voices, and if conflict arises, take the time to address it, which may include processing outside of rehearsal. At times it may help to have outside support – people who have social justice expertise to help navigate moments of conflict. Systemic power dynamics have both blatant and subtle manifestations, within companies and at performances. Oppression is everywhere, and so it can (and likely will) appear in any performance regardless of whether or not the performance has an explicitly social justice theme.

●  If your Playback company is run by White leaders and is predominantly White, educate yourself about Whiteness / White Supremacy. Make it clear to your troupe members, to your clients, and to your audience members, that as a White person, you welcome feedback. Slow down and listen. Move at the rate of relationships. Notice if you desire to lead with your own “good ideas” as if you know what’s best for other people. Notice if you have a constant drive towards productivity, valuing output more than relationships. These qualities are embedded in Whiteness / White colonizer heritage, and we can choose different ways to relate to ourselves and others in more holistic and equitable ways.

●  Prioritize marginalized voices: If we’re doing a show for a marginalized community and some of those voices are in the cast, in rehearsal invite their stories first. In a show on sexual assault or domestic violence, invite non-male voices first. We don’t agree with Playback’s informal rule of “welcome every story.” Often in shows we ask to hear marginalized voices first, and sometimes we do not welcome a dominant group member teller’s story but rather, in service of social justice, respectfully ask them to stand aside.

●  Set appropriate boundaries: proceed with caution when doing a show if you don’t have a demographically appropriate cast, or if you realize you are the wrong conductor for a show, or if this isn’t the moment for a particular choice as an actor or conductor because of the impact on other people in the room.

●  If you want to do shows that combine Playback and Theatre of the Oppressed, get sufficient training and practice in both forms first.

●  Grow awareness around issues of systemic power and oppression. This learning will support your artistry and company life regardless of whether or not your company chooses to focus on social justice performances:

• • • Use interactive exercises to explore social identities within the group.
    • Explore your ancestry and how it affects your relationship to systemic power and oppression.
    • Educate yourself and share: books, videos, podcasts, webinars, teachers, etc., particularly written and/or taught by people from marginalized communities.
    • Explore non-hierarchical decision-making processes to share power.
    • Share your personal culture through music, food, relationship to time, touch, etc.
    • Make time to build relationships outside of rehearsals.
      

      
      A few books and websites to check out:

    • Oluo, Ijeoma. (2019). So you want to talk about race. Seal Press.
    • Menakem, Resmaa. (2017). My Grandmother’s Hands. Central Recovery Press. 
    • Nieto, Leticia. (2010). Beyond inclusion, beyond empowerment a developmental strategy to liberate everyone. Cuetzpalin publishing.
    • DiAngelo, Robin J. and Dyson, Michael Eric. (2018). White fragility: why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Penguin Random House.
    • Catalyst Project: https://collectiveliberation.org/resources/
    • The Anti-Violence Project: https://www.antiviolenceproject.org/anti-oppressive-practices/
    • GLAAD, an LGBTQIA resource https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist
    • Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change:
    • www.organizingforpower.org/anti-oppression-resources-exercises/