Theatre for Good Podcast

Chetna Mehrotra is an artist, cultural entrepreneur and the Founder of Rangbhumi Theatre, based in Mumbai, India. She draws on a mix of applied theatre and arts-based practices to facilitate workshops in workspaces, open learning spaces and within the education system with the vision of creating a culture of expression, acceptance and love between people. As an applied theatre organization, Rangbhumi believes passionately in the power of art forms and the wonderous ability they carry for personal transformation thereby leading to a community and societal shift in the humanism of everyday living.   

You don't want to miss:

• How Rangbhumi is using Playback Theatre in schools with children as part of their curriculum as well as with their teachers
• The power of bringing applied theatre practices into workplaces and how to overcome the challenges of working in these spaces
• Tips for resourcing yourself as a practitioner and the self-work that is needed to be present, minimize bias and allow for emergence
• News about a new Applied Theatre and Social Arts program as well as upcoming book launches
• And MORE.

Links and Resources:

• Learn more about Rangbhumi Theatre on their Facebook Page

• Check out some of their work on their Youtube Channel

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work and how she is using the power of applied theatre to help teams overcome their challenges and build stronger team cultures. Thanks!

Malongdu was founded by Sonny Chatwiriyachai and is the first Theatre of the Oppressed group to exist in Thailand. The name “Malongdu” in Thai means “Let’s Try.” Their aim is to establish an alternative theatre movement in Thailand that can share the voices of oppressed people from their site of struggle and its causes. Malongdu Theatre believes that a better and just society will not be hand-fed by people at the top so we, the oppressed and friends, need to join hands and lead the way using Theatre as a weapon of peace. 

You don’t want to miss:

• The story of how Malongdu got started and the barriers Sonny was up against when trying to pioneer these techniques in Thailand
• Examples and learnings from creating and joking Forum Theatre shows
• How to create an Invisible Theatre performance and stories of the reactions
• Sonny’s advice for other practitioners from the lessons learned over 10 years of running Malongdu
• And MORE.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Malongdu Theatre
• Watch a clip about the BTS Invisible Theatre work Malongdu led

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

ImaginAction was born 20 years ago from the vision of Hector Aristizabal, today it is a growing network of Social Arts Facilitators that use theatre and storytelling to create spaces in which communities can see and heal themselves. In this podcast, Meg Nimigon speaks to Uri Noy Meir from ImaginAction about how the work has transformed since moving online and how ImaginAction is playing a role in curating and creating this work both on and offline with communities worldwide.

You don’t want to miss:

• Uri’s journey into using theatre for social change and how integral it’s been to his own personal healing
• Learn about techniques like Rainbow of Desire, Social Presencing Theatre and Dragon Dreaming
• Hear about ways that Uri is experimenting online through workshops like Unlocking the News and From Stuck to Rainbow
• The opportunity this work is presenting us during these troubling times to remember what connects us
• And MORE.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about ImaginAction
• Learn more about Theatre of the Oppressed, Social Presencing Theatre and Dragon Dreaming
• Register for an upcoming From Stuck to Rainbow Lab – you can access a special promo code for this training at the end of the podcast episode

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) is a non-profit theatre based in Toronto, Ontario that breaks down walls by pushing against boundaries. TPM believes there should be a more diverse representation of artists, audience members, and stories in our theatre and aspires to be a leader locally, nationally, and internationally in establishing, promoting, and embracing collaborative and inclusive theatre practices. In this podcast, Meg Nimigon speaks with the Artistic Director of TPM, Marjorie Chan, and Interim Managing Director, Indrit Kasapi.

You don't want to miss:

• Why TPM calls itself Canada's original alternative theatre company and how that plays out in their work
• Learn about the Accessibility Labs project - a series of experiments integrating accessibility practices within the artistic process
• Hear about ways of centering the community you work within as an arts-based company
• See how a theatre company is engaging the community outside of theatre by hosting a TRC Reading Challenge
• Learn how TPM has offered 'Blackout nights' to serve the needs of its community
• And MORE.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Theatre Passe Muraille
• Watch the Accessibility Labs 7-Part Documentary Series (for free!)
• Learn more about the TRC Reading Challenge

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

This episode's podcast art image is thanks to Dahlia Katz.

Kimberlee Walker is a social worker, actor and Applied Theatre facilitator who is a founding member of Ontario-based not-for-profit Theatre of the Beat (TOTB). Theatre of the Beat is a theatre company with a process rooted in restorative justice principles and a passion for promoting conversations around social justice. Kimberlee developed TOTB's Restorative Justice Theatre Program which runs out of Grand Valley Institution for Women. This program marks the first time that a professional theatre company has collaborated with federally incarcerated women in Canada.

You don’t want to miss:

• How Theatre of the Beat got started and how it became the first professional theatre company to collaborate with federally incarcerated women in Canada
• Tips for creating safe space in your workshops that use a trauma-informed approach
• Why creating theatre within prisons is important and impactful and how you might go about starting your own program
• How applying a restorative justice lens to your work may affect your practices
• Resources on how to measure and evaluate your applied theatre work
• And MORE.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Kimberlee and Theatre of the Beat
• Book your spot at TOTB’s upcoming digital show Forgiven/Forgotten
• Check out the Justice Arts Coalition – a network uniting teaching artists, arts advocates, currently and formerly incarcerated artists, and allies, harnessing the transformative power of the arts to reimagine justice
• Learn more about the impact of prison theatre programs through the Geese Theatre Company evidence library

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Maria Askew is an award-winning theatre director, performer, writer and educator. She leverages the power of theatre in a broad range of contexts all over the world including working with health care professionals, refugee and migrant communities, in educational settings and with NGOs and charities. Maria also heads up a Masters in Theatre for Community and Education program at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London UK. 

You don’t want to miss:

• How to create theatre as a collective ensemble and what it offers you in the process
• The importance of using our bodies as a starting point and how to build character from a simple embodied exercise
• Examples of using Forum Theatre with health care professionals to develop skills and understanding
• Learn about using theatre as a tool to work with ESL (English Second Language) youth
• The opportunities that exist around moving the work online and a few favourite exercises

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Maria Askew
• Check out the Masters in Theatre for Community Education program at Mountview
• Learn more about Clod Ensemble + Performing Medicine
• Learn more about Kazzum Arts

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Bonface Njeresa Beti is an African multi-disciplinary practitioner working through storytelling and theatre-making as a pathway to integrating trauma-informed approaches to structural change. His work has brought him to grassroots communities in Africa, and the world, to work towards breaking cycles of violence and creating stories of peace.  Bonface’s work uses Theatre of the Oppressed methodologies to deconstruct structural and internalized oppression as forms of emancipatory everyday peace. 

You don’t want to miss:

• The powerful story of how theatre changed Bonface’s life from a young age
• Examples of using theatre with youth and caregivers in the prison system
• How Forum Theatre was used to confront gender-based violence in Kenya
• Stories of using theatre to explore trauma and break the cycle of violence using a healing-centered lens
• Leveraging Playback Theatre to share stories of home with newcomers in Canada
• Lessons learned from a lifetime of using theatre to build peace
• And MORE!

Links and Resources

• Learn more about the Amani Peoples Theatre
• Check out the Red Thread Playback Theatre
• Find Bonface at the Green String Network and learn more about their work

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Sara Tilley is an award-winning theatre maker and author whose artistic work bridges writing, theatre, and Pochinko Clown Through Mask technique. In this podcast, Sara dives deep into Neutral Mask and the Pochinko Clown Through Mask technique -  a specialized Canadian clown method that brings people through a journey of self-exploration and awakening.

You don’t want to miss:

• An in-depth explanation of what Pochinko Clown and Neutral Mask are all about
• Why these processes lead to life-changing results for participants
• How to create a safe space for self-discovery and vulnerability in a workshop
• Some of the key exercises and processes from Sara’s workshops
• The history of the clown and mask and what role this work plays today
• And MORE!

Links and Resources

• Visit Sara’s website at saratilley.ca
• Keep tabs on Sara’s workshop listings
• Get in touch with Sara to collaborate and learn more

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Theatre for Healing and Justice | Featuring Marc Weinblatt and Zhaleh Almaee from Mandala Center for Change

The Mandala Center is a multi-disciplinary arts education organization dedicated to community dialogue, social justice, and societal healing and transformation. Through experiential workshops, theatre performances, and other creative events, Mandala’s work invites people to be more awake and alive as well as empowered to take action toward a more just and joyous life for all.

You don’t want to miss:

• The biggest lessons from over 20 years of practicing applied theatre work
• Examples of using Rainbow of Desire for conflict resolution
• How Theatre of the Oppressed is evolving and new leaders are informing the work
• The importance of embodied processes to create a language for the issues we face today
• The power of Legislative Theatre to create institutional change
• And MORE!

Links and Resources

• Visit the Mandala Center for Change website
• Learn more about the Mandala Theatre of the Oppressed Mentorships
• Watch Love & Activism in the Time of Covid – a Playback and TO virtual performance
• Donate to Mandala’s BIPOC Leader fund

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!

Sheatre is a professional community arts company located near Owen Sound, Ontario that focuses on interactive productions about social issues and on plays that celebrate community and the creative spirit. In this podcast we speak with Sheatre’s Artistic Director, Joan Chandler, who has led the collective creation of 115 plays across Ontario and abroad.

You don’t want to miss:

• Powerful stories of using theatre for individual and systems transformation
• How to craft and execute a workshop experience
• Examples of projects being offered online, through podcasts, phone and radio
• Why celebrating community is a key part of Sheatre’s work

Links and Resources

• Visit the Sheatre website
• Reach out to Joan Chandler
• Learn more about “Ye Canna Throw Yer Granny Off A Bus!” a play that brings the message that elder abuse needs to stop
• Learn more about Far From the Heart – an interactive forum theatre show about coming of age, violation and redemption

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on the latest Theatre for Good podcast episodes. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review. You can also reach out to Meg Nimigon at [email protected] to learn more about her work or visit www.megnimigon.com.  Thanks!