Workshop about principles of community theatre led by American director Marcy Arlin who founded Immigrants Theatre Project in 1988. The workshop is suitable for theatre actors, community workers, students of social sciences or people who are intersted in community art. The aim is to provide participants a methodologica inspiration and specific tools usable in practice. The workshop is not limited on the work with a particular target group, during two days we want to discuss issues connected to engagement of non-professionals into the theatre in general: immigrants, parents at maternity leave, problematic youth, disabled, beekeepers or all of them at once.

The first part of the workshop will present particular examples of pedagogic scopes, questions of ethics, financing and sociopolitical context connected to this type of work in United States. Presented will be the concepts and methods derived from pieces of Judith Herman, Michaela Chekhova, Violy Spolin, Augosta Boal, San Francisco Mime Troupe and others.

Second part will be practical: to provide participants the tools how to work with community, as well as examples of theatre and improvisational exercises, ways of oral history collecting and its processing into a show. Marcy Arlin will be using examples from her work with migrants, victims of violence, minorities and teenagers as case studies. The participants will try to present their own stories and questions raising from their own work. The important element will be particpants’ experience, their expectations to which we will adapt the content of the workshop.

Along the practical issues (and often through them), we also want to touch the reflexive and critical dimension: What potential lies in using art in problematic social contexts? For who are community projects valuable? Where is the border between sympathy and empathy, engagement and charity?
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In New York 1988, Marcy Arlin founded theatre collective Immigrants´ Theatre Project where she has directed over 20 shows and created more than 200 author projects. Immigrants´ Theatre Project introduces traditional as well as experimental pieces and cooperates with immigrants and marginalized groups. In 2003, the company was awarded OBIE (Off-Brodway Theatre Awards). Arlin is a member of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and League of Professional Theatre Women. As J. W. Fulbright Commision specialist, she leads seminars and lectures about American immigrant drama and intercultural improvisation, in USA and Europe. In 2012, she initiated and executed project entitled Eastern European Playwright: Women Write the New, a cycle of theatrical readings of playwriters from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. Other significant projects she cooperated were for example: East/West/East: Vietnamese Immigrants out of war (project about Vietnamese immigrants in Czech Republic and USA), Journey Theatre (project with immigrants who survived 9/11, war or tortering).

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Time schedule: 10.00am - 4.00pm (lunch break between 1.00pm and 2.00pm)
In case of need, the workshop will be interpreted into Slovak language.

Before the workshop, there will be one-day symposium about relation of borders and participatory art.

The workshop is free of charge, but limited in capacity - you need to sign up.
Info and reservations: ivana@stanica.sk

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