Winter 2016 Update

Our Unpacking Race series
returns in March 2016.

2015 brought Philadelphia Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O. Philly for short) to new areas of our city and beyond. We held public workshops in West Philly at The Rotunda and in South Philly at a new space called The Whole Shebang. We also worked with students at UArts, UPenn, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Goddard Colleges, and as part of a social justice day at the Hun School of Princeton. We formed a small Theatre of the Oppressed collective that collaborated with residents of Southeast Philly on Playgrunds for Useful Knowledge, a pilot project created by Mural Arts and Cohabitation Strategies. We also explored issues of dis/ability justice, vision loss and passing in workshops that fed into a performance called CONES through T.O. Philly's sibling, the Medium Theatre Company.

Looking ahead to 2016, we bring back our popular series on race and racism called Unpacking Race. During the month of March we'll explore this topic through group exercises, Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, and discussions, supplemented by things to read and do between sessions. Our aim is to unlearn the systemic racism we’ve been taught our entire lives, to heal from racial privilege and oppression, and to offer starting points for structural and personal change in ourselves, our communities, and our world. To pre-register or get more info, send an email to "tophilly@gmail.com".

Below: Mural Arts' video of Playgrounds for Useful Knowledge.

The Rainbow of Desire

Saturday Nov. 14, 2015 • 10AM-5PM
THE RAINBOW OF DESIRE
A one-day workshop
led by Morgan Andrews

at the Whole Shebang 
1813 S. 11th Street
Tuition: $25-$75, sliding scale
Click here to pre-register
or email "tophilly@gmail.com"

Images, sounds, movement and words are the building blocks for this workshop about creating the world as we want it, with better schools, healthier workplaces, stronger relationships and whatever else we need. But when desires conflict, these goals don’t come easy and might even get muddled. This session builds from group games to theatrical simulations that put our desires in the spotlight where we can see their true colors. Then we’ll figure out whether each one is helpful, harmful, or a little of both.

Similar to the Cop in the Head technique, the Rainbow of Desire was developed by Theatre of the Oppressed founder Augusto Boal to get at internalized oppression. For more about Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed, follow the links on the righthand side of our website. More workshop info below:

• The Whole Shebang is located at 11th and Moore Streets. Enter through the parking lot.
• Each workshop includes a one-hour lunch break plus additional shorter breaks.
• Space is limited—pre-register early to reserve your spot.
• Tuition for each workshop is sliding scale, $25-$75 (you decide).
• Pay online via The Whole Shebang's website, or reserve a spot by emailing "tophilly@gmail.com".

About the Facilitator: Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews has been making activist art and theatre in Philadelphia since 1998. He's traveled the world working with the likes of Beth Nixon from Philly/Providence, Vermont's Bread & Puppet Theater, and Jana Sanskriti in West Bengal. He discovered and trained in Theatre of the Oppressed in Brazil, New York and India, and started T.O. Philly in 2008 as way to make this work accessible and affordable in his home city. Morgan also teaches yoga and theatre around town, and creates performances with the Medium Theatre Company.