Tom Goldtooth | Nuestro Ambiente | Poetry Slam
EJ Theater Troupe | South Africa | South Korea

The Environmental Justice Theatre Troupe
Washington, DC
October 22-27, 2002

The Theatre Troupe performed at the Environmental Justice Summit held October 22-27, 2002 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, DC. The troupe used a theatrical sketch to highlight an environmental justice struggle. The sketch was then repeated and members of the audience were invited to replace an actor(s) in order to offer different points of view or to change the outcome of the sketch. This was a theater of liberation and empowerment where the distinction between actors and audience became blurred. The organizers of the workshop operated under the assumption that everyone is both a teacher and a learner, and each person brings unique experiences to the collective dialogue. This theatrical workshop was based upon the work of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal. By using pedagogy and theater, Freire and Augusto worked with oppressed people of the world developing critical thinking to overcome social systems of oppression. Effective dialogue is a prerequisite to liberation, empowerment, and environmental justice.

(Photos above: Theater Troupe: William Ho, Jumana Vasi, Kishi Animashaun.)