Artivism: Street Theater
Sudan Campaign Die-In - Washington, D.C.
I collaborated with a coalition of organizations working to stop the genocide in the Sudan. At a die-in and rally in Washington, D.C., I created a theatrical component that kicked off the rally. A short procession of ghosts, cloaked in long, black robes, from Rwanda, handed over flags that said fear, hatred and international inaction, to ghosts from the Sudan. Behind them were the U.S., E.U., and the U.N. represented by people in large bow ties, taking the poses of "see no evil", "speak no evil" and "hear no evil". This action was done at the opening of the event to remind onlookers and participants that the gruesome past is repeating itself in front of our eyes.
... VICTORY ... On July 22nd, (the same day as the Die- In) just hours before they adjourned until September, the US House of Representatives and US Senate passed resolutions designating the events in Darfur a "genocide" and calling on the US government to stop the killing, including - if necessary - through intervention.
The massive lobbying from citizens groups and advocates helped make it happen. I was glad to be part of the event and inject the arts into this tremendous effort. I'd like to think the flags were seen by those Representatives and Senators who cast their vote to stop the genocide.
www.darfurgenocide.org
Sudan Funeral March In Nyc
Coordinating with an international advocacy organization and an organization comprised of former residents of Darfur, Sudan I led a short funeral march past the United Nations, during lunch hour, to encourage definitive action to end the genocide in the Sudan. The procession marched solemnly to a gong being rung and participants carried signs with the names and ages of real people who have been killed in the government sponsored genocide. Other marchers held flags that said genocide, apathy and fear. We joined up with the Darfurian delegation and marched past the U.N. and in front of the Sudanese mission to the U.N.
Street Theater Actions During The Republican National Convention
I led a series of anti-RNC street theater workshops in conjunction with United for Peace and Justice and Theaters Against War (THAW) to develop street actions that were performed around NYC. We created two amazing pieces. In the first one, we held a mock elephant press conference where the head of the elephant kingdom, with his lawyer, announces that he is disallowing the Republicans to use the elephant image any further as the Republicans do not have elephant values. The second one was a boat-in at the Central Park boathouse where we created a small flotilla and serenaded the lunching Republicans with an updated version of Brother Can You Spare a Dime to Dubya Can You Spare a Dime. We have a large banner made of t-shirt material that read, "The Republicans Are Taking the Shirts Off Our Backs" and at the end of the song, we all peeled our shirts off.
You may want to browse through press mentions.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) Street Theater - April 2005
Staged and rehearsed street theater actions as part of RAN's National Day of Action. Performed in front of J.P. Morgan's headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City, activists dressed as inspectors in HAZMAT costumes were inspecting J.P. Morgan's "Investments of Mass Destruction" airing the dirty policies of J.P. Morgan. Intercepted by the "Billionaires for Bush" who handcuffed themselves to the investments to protect their money, the inspectors won out in the end and exposed what J.P. Morgan was up to. This was to further RAN's Global Finance Campaign; to bring social and environmental accountability to all aspects of global financial business practices.
www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/
... VICTORY!!! ... Weeks after the day of action JPMorgan Chase adopted a comprehensive environmental policy that takes significant steps forward on climate change, forest protection, and indigenous rights!!!
I'd like to take the credit and say it was the street theater that caused JPMorgan Chase to cave, but RAN has put on a fierce campaign that is continuing until the entire banking industry shapes up!! So far, America's three largest banks, Citigroup, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase, have all adopted policies that safeguard old growth and endangered forests, curb investments in climate change, and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. GO RAN!!!