🎭Intro to Performance Studies Unit 11 – Politics and Activism in Performance

What's This Unit All About?

• Explores the intersection of politics, activism, and performance
• Examines how performance can be used as a tool for social and political change
• Investigates the role of performance in shaping public opinion and influencing policy
• Analyzes the effectiveness of various forms of political performance
  • Includes street theater, protest art, and guerrilla theater
• Considers the historical and cultural contexts in which political performances occur
• Discusses the ethical implications of using performance for political purposes
• Highlights the power of performance to give voice to marginalized communities and challenge dominant narratives

Key Concepts and Terms

• Agitprop: political propaganda disseminated through art, literature, and performance
• Guerrilla theater: spontaneous, unconventional performances in public spaces designed to disrupt and provoke
• Protest art: creative works that challenge social and political injustices
  • Examples include murals, graffiti, and installations
• Street theater: performances staged in public spaces to engage and educate audiences
• Performative activism: actions that prioritize symbolic gestures over substantive change
• Cultural resistance: the use of art and performance to oppose oppressive systems and ideologies
• Solidarity: the act of standing in unity with marginalized communities and their struggles
• Collective action: coordinated efforts by groups to achieve a common goal, often through performance and activism

Historical Context

• Political performance has roots in ancient Greek theater, which often critiqued social and political issues
• Agitprop theater emerged in the early 20th century as a tool for communist and socialist movements
  • Bertolt Brecht's epic theater aimed to provoke critical thinking and social change
• The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s utilized performance, including sit-ins and freedom songs
• The Vietnam War era saw the rise of guerrilla theater and protest art as forms of resistance
• The AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s sparked a wave of activist performance art, such as the work of ACT UP
• The Global Justice Movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s employed carnival-style protests and street theater
• Recent social movements, such as Black Lives Matter and the Women's March, have incorporated elements of performance and spectacle

Types of Political Performance

• Agitprop theater: didactic plays that promote a specific political ideology or cause
• Documentary theater: performances based on real-life events and interviews, often with a political focus
• Protest performances: actions that disrupt public spaces to draw attention to social and political issues
  • Examples include die-ins, mock funerals, and human barricades
• Guerrilla theater: spontaneous, site-specific performances that challenge the status quo
• Legislative theater: participatory performances that engage audiences in creating and debating policy proposals
• Invisible theater: staged scenes in public spaces that blur the line between reality and fiction to provoke reactions
• Online activism: the use of digital platforms and social media to organize, educate, and mobilize for political causes

Case Studies and Examples

• The San Francisco Mime Troupe's outdoor performances in the 1960s and 70s addressed issues of race, class, and war
• El Teatro Campesino's actos, or short skits, supported the United Farm Workers' movement in the 1960s
• The Bread and Puppet Theater's giant puppets and pageants have protested war, capitalism, and environmental destruction since the 1960s
• The Yes Men's satirical interventions, such as impersonating corporate representatives, aim to expose social and political injustices
• Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping's performances critique consumerism and advocate for environmental causes
• Pussy Riot's punk rock protests in Russia challenge authoritarianism and champion feminism and LGBTQ+ rights
• The Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline incorporated elements of dance, music, and ritual

Theories and Frameworks

• Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed: a set of techniques that empower participants to explore and challenge oppression through performance
  • Includes Forum Theatre, in which audiences intervene in scenes to propose solutions to social problems
• Dwight Conquergood's concept of performance ethnography: the use of performance to research and represent marginalized communities
• Jill Dolan's utopian performatives: moments in performance that offer glimpses of a better world and inspire social change
• Judith Butler's theory of performativity: the idea that identities are constructed through repeated performances and can be subverted through alternative performances
• Chela Sandoval's methodology of the oppressed: a framework for understanding and enacting resistance through art and performance
• Diana Taylor's concept of the repertoire: the embodied knowledge and practices that are transmitted through performance, often in opposition to dominant archives
• Ngugi wa Thiong'o's notion of the theater of the oppressed: performances that challenge neocolonialism and champion indigenous cultures and languages

Impacts and Effectiveness

• Political performances can raise awareness about social and political issues, but their long-term impacts can be difficult to measure
• Performances that engage audiences as active participants, rather than passive spectators, may be more effective in promoting social change
• The media attention generated by political performances can amplify their message and reach wider audiences
  • However, media coverage may also distort or sensationalize the intended message
• Political performances can create a sense of solidarity and collective identity among participants and supporters
• Performances that are culturally specific and grounded in local communities may have a greater impact than those that are imposed from outside
• The effectiveness of political performance may depend on the receptiveness of the target audience and the broader political climate
• While political performances can inspire individual and collective action, they may not directly result in policy changes or structural transformations

Modern Applications and Trends

• The rise of social media has enabled new forms of online activism and performance, such as hashtag campaigns and viral videos
• Climate change activism has increasingly incorporated elements of performance, such as the Extinction Rebellion's dramatic protests and mock funerals
• The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a surge in digital performances and virtual activism, as well as socially distanced protests and demonstrations
• The Black Lives Matter movement has inspired a wave of anti-racist performances, from street murals to choreographed dances
• Indigenous activists have used performance to resist pipelines, protect sacred sites, and assert sovereignty
• Feminist and LGBTQ+ activists have employed performance to challenge gender norms and advocate for reproductive rights and equality
• Immigrant rights activists have staged protests and performances to oppose deportations and champion the rights of undocumented people
• As authoritarianism and far-right extremism rise globally, political performance remains a vital tool for resistance and social change