Showing January 7th, 2011:
Jana Sanskriti: A Theater on the Field
A film by Jeanne Dosse about Forum Theatre in India
Part of the Celebrate People's History Art Show & Book Party
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.
