Theatre and Peace Building is one area of interest that emerged from TWB’s founding symposium, which took place in April 2005. TWB has issued an invitation to theater artists around the world to participate in dialogues on the relationship of theater to peace, and intends to organize gatherings and perhaps training sessions to create opportunities for these important conversations to flourish.
The September 23 meeting was attended by approximately 15 individuals, the majority representing different aspects of the theater world: dramaturges, directors, producers, artistic directors, and actors, as well as several individuals from the coexistence world (see participant list below). The event had as its goal to share knowledge and experience about the role of theater in peacebuilding.
The session began with a welcome by Roberta Levitow, one of the founders of TWB, followed by introductions by participants, facilitated by Jonathan Fox, the Director of the School of Playback Theatre and one of the convenors of the Theatre and Peace Dialogue. These were followed by a brief presentation of a conceptual framework for thinking about reconciliation by Cynthia Cohen, Director of Coexistence Research and International Collaborations at Brandeis University. This theoretical framework, which linked the educational tasks inherent in reconciliation with the kind of knowledge that emerges from theatrical and other aesthetic encounters, is more fully explained in her article “Creative Approaches to Reconciliation.”[1] It offered a shared vocabulary as a starting point for discussion, and a framework that has proved useful for artists working in conflict regions.
Dr. Cohen’s presentation examined the ways in which theater serves to restore and rebuild capacities that are diminished by violence, and how the trust building that is critical to processes of reconciliation is a key component of theater. Theater, as an art form, can contribute to reconciliation in two general ways: 1) by enhancing the capacities that are required, and 2) by facilitating conciliatory processes.
Many capacities required for reconciliation can be impaired by violence. These capacities include:
- the ability to listen and to hear what the other is saying;
- the ability to express oneself so that the other can hear;
- the ability to imagine, both the experiences of "the other" and a new and different future;
- the ability to trust and the ability to discern when trust is warranted;
- the ability to be vital; and
- the ability to engage.
Artistic processes can be crafted to restore, nourish and enhance these capacities.
Reconciliation is a mutli-faceted and delicate process. Its specific steps must be defined by those who are seeking to reconcile. Nevertheless, in most instances, it is possible to discern the following elements in conciliatory processes:
- rehumanization of the other;
- telling of stories, listening to stories, and creating more complex narratives;
- mourning losses;
- empathizing with the suffering of the other;
- addressing injustices and inequities;
- letting go of bitterness (repenting, apologizing, forgiving, etc.); and
- imagining a new and different future, including ways to constructively engage future conflicts, and substantiating the newly imagined order.
Theater, in its many forms, can provide opportunities for people to engage in these processes.
Several of the theater artists in attendance found this presentation helpful in articulating what they had experienced in their theater work in conflict or post-conflict communities but had not yet been able to define.
A panel of five international theater artists then described their work through the lens of coexistence and reconciliation:
Dijana Milosevic, DAH Theatre, Belgrade, Serbia: Ms. Milosevic spoke about her theater’s work in acknowledging and redressing injustices in her country from the early and mid-1990s to the present. She emphasized the responsibility of artists during and after civil war, and the importance of remaining committed to quality theater productions as a way to communicate messages and stories, and at least in one instance, to resist violence. She shared an anecdote about the impact of her Serbian theater company performing a play about Bosnians massacred by Serbian soldiers, and the production’s role in acknowledging harms.
Catherine Filloux, Playwright and Fulbright Scholar, United States: Ms. Filloux has worked extensively in Cambodia, writing and producing plays about the genocide in that country and, more recently, about the truth tribunals. She spoke about the reaction of Cambodian audience members who would often watch the play, and then stay on for hours in the theater afterwards to share their own experiences having survived the genocide.
Naum Panovski, Theater Director and College Professor, Macedonia: Mr. Panovski, a theater director who now directs a program on theater and society at Rhode Island College, has committed himself to sharing the voices that tell the story of what happened in the former Yugoslavia and the lessons learned. All of his recent productions focus on the possibilities for communities living together with tolerance, respect, and dignity. In his experience, it is not only the play itself which sends this message and allows for imagining this possibility, but also the reaction of audiences upon seeing the productions.
Jonathan Fox, Founder of Playback Theatre and Director of the School of Playback Theatre, United States: Mr. Fox began his presentation by explaining the basic concept of Playback Theatre: an audience member tells a story which the actors then immediately recreate on stage. By creating a space where individuals have the opportunity to tell their story and then see it validated on stage, losses can often be mourned and wrongs acknowledged.
Joanna Sherman, Artistic Director, Bond Street Theatre, United States: Bond Street Theatre has been working with young people and aspiring actors in Afghanistan during the last several years. A main goal of Bond Street's work has been revitalizing the indigenous theater culture in that country. By offering interactive and engaging theater and theater classes, Bond Street Theatre has created a space for young people outside of war and conflict.
The presentations by panelists were followed by a discussion among the participants about the specificities of certain theater experiences, the larger question of what theater artists can learn about peacebuilding, and how theater can contribute to the process of reconciliation.
The conclusion of the gathering was reserved for discussing ways to move the collaboration between CI and TWB forward, including joint contributions to the program for an event titled "Art in the One World: Considering Genocide" (January 16-29, 2006, Cal Arts) and developing a proposal for panels, presentations, and workshops that would involve both peacebuilding theorists and practitioners and artists for the July 2006 International Peace Research Association conference.
Participants in the September 23rd Theatre and Peace conversation:
Dr. Cynthia Cohen
Director of Coexistence Research and International Collaborations,
Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence
Brandeis University
Scott Edmiston
Director, Brandeis Office of the Arts
Anne Ellinger
Director, True Story Theatre
Catherine Filloux
Playwright, Theatre Without Borders
Visiting Professor, Bennington College
Jonathan Fox
Director, School of Playback Theatre
Kate Gardner
Director, Community Theatre Internationale
Roberta Levitow
Director, Dramaturg
Theatre Without Borders
Lisa Lindstrom
Film Producer
Independent Artist and Teacher
Dijana Milosevic
Founder and Director, Dah Theatre
Naum Panovski
Director, Master's Program in Theatre and Society
Rhode Island College
Sabrina Peck
Director and Choreographer
Cornerstone Theatre Core Member
Joanna Sherman
Artistic Director, Bond Street Theatre
Rosey Strub
Independent Producer
Graduate of the Yale School of Drama
