Interactive theater takes on peace, justice Friday night in Port Townsend’s Masonic Hall
Published 12:01 am Wednesday, August 5, 2015
PORT TOWNSEND — “Waging Peace — Designing Justice,” a free theater production and community dialogue, will bring a cast of 35 performers to the Masonic Hall, 1338 Jefferson St., this Friday night for a single show.
While there’s no charge for the 7 p.m. event, donations will be accepted for the Boiler Room, downtown Port Townsend’s youth-driven coffee house and community center.
The Mandala Center for Change, a local arts organization devoted to social justice, presents “Waging Peace” in the forum-theater style.
Social issues
In it, teenagers, elders and many in between perform a play about current social issues — and invite the audience to stop the action and improvise possible solutions to the problems at hand.
“All opinions will be welcome and valued,” said Marc Weinblatt, the Mandala Center’s director.
“Through the evocative and universal language of theater, everyone is invited to share wisdom on the issues at hand,” he said.
“It can literally be a rehearsal for the future in which audience ‘spect-actors’ take action towards creating the kind of world they want.
“Come participate actively,” he said, “or simply sit back and witness the process.”
“Waging Peace,” which includes cast members from the Mandala Center’s Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble, is the culmination of a weeklong intensive training in “Theater of the Oppressed” techniques.
The late Brazilian artist Augusto Boal created this form to give peasants and other workers a voice in community building, politics and the transformation of their towns.
For more about “Waging Peace” and the Mandala Center, phone Weinblatt at 360-344-3435 or visit www.mandalaforchange.com.
