JUST ACT INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED

Whether you are embarking on your T.O. journey, or seeking to deepen your facilitation practice, our T.O. Institute offers multi-level Theatre of the Oppressed technique training, such as:

• Foundations: Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O) or Forum Theatre,
• Forum Theatre Intensive, a refreshing new take on facilitating T.O., strengthening knowledge within an anti-oppression framework
• Advanced Joker Training, Level 1 & 2
• One-on-One Facilitation Coaching, or Program Consultancy by Just Act’s Executive & Artistic Director who brings 30 yrs experience as a T.O. facilitator.
• Introspective Theatre of the Oppressed Techniques: Investigate inside to see more clearly outside via Boal’s Introspection Techniques such as Cops in the Head, Rainbow of Desire

Just Act invites you to learn, strengthen and expand personal and professional skills in using Theatre of the Oppressed as a tool for individual, interpersonal and community healing.

Make Your Own Forum Theatre Ensemble

We partner with community, activist and school groups to make their own Forum Theatre Ensemble to facilitate difficult, courageous dialogue and action planning with their own community that yields real strategies for changing real struggles that are the result of systematic oppression.

What is a program?

• We teach participants from partnering groups to create their own Forum Theatre play which serves as the centerpiece for a Forum Theatre event in their community.

What is a residency?

• A multi-day Forum Theatre intensive training for a group focused on J.E.D.I. concerns while also teaching them T.O. technique. Residencies culminate in a public performance of the Forum Theatre piece they created.

Art Powered Places: Our model for Arts & Community-Based Engagement, Organizing & Planning for Change

Using theatre and arts-based tools for exploring human interaction, imagination and community possibility in creative place-based, community-led engagement, Just Act customizes programs to our partners’ unique interests in building connections across diverse residents so as to grow their power to affect community change.  

Our resident-driven, arts and community-based engagement model recognizes the need for residents themselves to identify the distinct characteristics, assets and barriers within their community, then envision what they are for and how to make it happen. Just Act’s place-based, resident-led cultural organizing flips the script on the structurally unjust status quo, and centers residents as the authors of a new narrative that will support and sustain their health and well-being.

We partner with local residents, community groups, organizations such as CDCs and local leaders to advance community growth and revitalization from the inside out.

THE PEOPLE’S JAM ON JUSTICE Forum Theatre Events

Forum Theatre community-based events created and produced by Just Act in collaboration with local activist and organizing groups, civic leaders, engaged individuals and organizations seeking new ways to tackle struggles that surround injustice. Together, we create dynamic, interactive Forum Theatre events to activate authentic inter-group dialogue, tackle conflict and create new strategies for citizen-driven change.

Audiences called “Spect-Actors”  theatrically debate real challenges then share ideas for changing how characters relate by jumping on stage and trying out their strategy for transforming oppressive behavior that perpetuates the status quo into more equitable interactions.

Real People.

Real Struggles.

Real Strategies for growing equity

Creative Capacity-Building Workshops

Just Act has taken an active role to inspire and support local community organizations and groups to create change through creative collaboration.

We offer stand-alone workshops to introduce your group/organization to select signature social practices arts–theatre, story and arts-based tools– we utilize in our longer-term place-based, strategic planning community projects. Some examples:

• Story-Circle process
• Community Network & Stakeholder Social Power Mapping 
• Problem/Vision Trees
• Image Theatre on barriers and breakthroughs
• Data Jam Board Game for participants to analyze their own data
• Story Engagement Teams of residents, trained to collect data, or perform Improvisational story “Gift-backs” at community events.

Workshops are customized to meet the specific needs and roles of individuals, groups, organizations and/or systems that embrace our mission as a catalyst for building relationships and networks to improve community health and well-being.

J.E.D.I Training

At Just Act, it means Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion workshops and professional development, using improvisational tools from Theatre of the Oppressed, Social Presencing Theatre and other Social Arts, as a foundation to flip the script from fear to courage.  We customize our workshops for cross-sector partners looking to catalyze conversations with constituents about the ways prejudice and discrimination show up in every day interactions; confront challenges to making personal and structural change. Workshop themes range from undoing racism and anti-bias training to social justice-based team building and creative conflict transformation. Through our trainings, you will:

–Explore and identify the internal and external obstacles that block growth

–Gain new awareness of your self and society

–Utilize new awareness to develop and practice strategies to support transformation.

•  Workshops for youth & young adults
• Professional Development for adults

Coaching & consultancy

We also offer:

• Consultancy for organizations in creative Community-based engagement;
• One-on-One Coaching in Theatre Of The Oppressed, Arts and Community-Based Engagement & Leadership Development for Equity
• Please contact us directly if interested.