Theatre For Living  

Photograph above courtesy David Cooper Photography

THEATRE FOR LIVING has evolved from Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the Oppressed" and David Diamond’s interest in and commitment to a ‘systems view’ of the world. If we embrace the idea that a community is a large, living organism, how do we consciously work with that larger consciousness, using a primal language (the theatre) to help it tell its stories? Once the story is acted on the stage, the living community engages in interactive, Forum Theatre, creating a true community-based dialogue.

THEATRE FOR LIVING is about empowerment - about people being the experts in their own lives and being able to use theatre as a means of creating change. The process gives a community the opportunity to develop “emotional intelligence” -- using a symbolic language to investigate alternative approaches to hard-to-talk-about issues. This is a first step towards dealing with difficult topics -- moving towards open communication and realities that living communities want in an active and entertaining way.

"David really knows what he's doing from years of practice with many kinds and sizes of groups. He swept the rest of us into a form that was not familiar to most of us. I was so overjoyed to watch the wisdom and brilliance of previously unconnected individuals made available so fast and so deeply."
(Anonymous participant comment quoted from a letter from Wendy Ceccherelli, Executive Director, Seattle Arts Commission regarding a Rainbow of Desire event on "What stops us from flying?")

The following pages take you through
the components of THEATRE FOR LIVING: