Celebrate People's History!

This is a notice about a past event. For information on upcoming events, click here.

Showing January 7th, 2011:

Jana Sanskriti: A Theater on the Field
A film by Jeanne Dosse about Forum Theatre in India
Friday January 7 at 7pm • Presentations start at 8 o'clock.
At Studio 34 • 4522 Baltimore Ave. Philadelphia • Free

Theatre is the center of community in rural Indian society. Historically, Indian folk theatre has been used to pass along old stories, uphold religious or moral values, and maintain the status quo, often reenforcing oppressive systems such as patriarchy and caste. In 1985 a new theatre movement emerged in
the villages of West Bengal, mixing folk performance with political themes in plays created by people who are directly impacted by the issues that they act out on stage. This movement,
Jana Sanskriti (Bengali for "People's Culture"), invites audience members to step into the shoes of
the actors and propose new solutions to society's problems. The community then takes these solutions and tests them out on the stage of everyday life—at home, in the field, on the street, and at the doors of those who hold power, often resulting in radical social change.

Come learn about the work of this inspiring movement with a 50-minute film and newly printed poster about Jana Sanskriti. The poster is just one in a series of more than 100 posters newly collected in Celebrate People's History: The Poster Book of Resistance and Revolution. This event will feature the book, a showing of the posters and short presentations by some of their artists—plus the Jana Sanskriti film and a Q&A with Theatre of the Oppressed activists who've spent time in West Bengal. This event is free, with posters and books available for sale.

Posters are up all month at Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave in West Philadelphia. Look forward to the Celebrate People's History closing event on Friday, February 4th, featuring several artists who curated and designed the show, as well as some of the activists depicted in the posters.

January 2011 Workshop Series

This is a notice about a past event. For information on upcoming events, click here.

Starting January 6th, 2011:

Theatre of the Oppressed Weekly Workshop Series
Thursdays January 6, 13, 20 & 27 • 6:00–7:30pm

LOCATION HAS BEEN CHANGED
Now at: 4824 Baltimore Ave. Philadelphia
Series tuition: $35 (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Pre-register by calling 267-909-2633 or email "tophilly@gmail.com"

Come express yourself through images, sounds, words and movements in this exciting 4-part workshop! 
With the popularity of the group we started in November, T.O. Philly is opening this new Thursday evening series to include more people and explore some material that we've never done in Philadelphia
. Over the month we'll loosen the boundaries of our senses with group games and partner exercises that get us thinking and moving outside of our usual routines. Each session will build on the previous week's work, highlighting a different technique from the arsenal of the Theatre of the Oppressed. In the end, we'll all have more tools and stronger skills as performers, communicators, and dismantlers of oppression—both the oppressions within ourselves and in the world around us. 

No theatre experience needed. Pre-register by emailing "tophilly@gmail.com" or call 215-730-0982.