Legislative Theatre: Watch • Act • Propose laws • Vote!
WHAT IS LEGISLATIVE THEATRE?
Brazilian theatre visionary and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Augusto Boal (1931-2009), developed Legislative Theatre when he was elected Vereador (City Councilor) in Rio de Janeiro from 1993-97. Through this unique process, Boal and his team successfully put into effect 13 laws inspired directly by the opinions and suggestions of marginalized, often voiceless populations, including homeless youth, black university students, battered women, blind people, and other groups.
Legislative Theatre is part of Boal’s world renowned Theatre of the Oppressed. The Mandala Center for Change is one of small number of companies in the world actively using this creative form of civic engagement.
Legislative Theatre events have a basic structure:
WATCH a short play based on issues and struggles from the community.
ACT onstage to offer alternative solutions/actions to the problems presented.
PROPOSE ideas for new laws and policies around the issues at hand.
VOTE on the laws/policies you want to see passed.
Actual legislators and policy makers, who can impact the issues under analysis, are invited to attend and witness the Legislative Theatre event. They remain silent witnesses to the process and are invited to take in and consider all of the information with a challenge to use their position to actually change laws and policy. Ideally there is then followup with legislators and policy makers afterwards to explore what suggestions they heard from the community that can be enacted. This Grassroots Community Workshop is a creative form of civic engagement.
Enjoy this 5 minute video animation describing the origins and functions
of Legislative Theatre.
Animations: Lucija Smodiš, Brina Fekonja
The film was created in the framework of the international project LegiLAB 4 Progress by partner organizations: Pekarna Magdalenske mreže, Pracownia Inspiracji Społecznych, Active Inquiry, & Cooperativa Giolli.
Mandala Center has successfully organized three Legislative Theatre events. We have witnessed firsthand its’ effectiveness in mobilizing people and addressing root problems that can benefit from community problem-solving and law/policy change.
Contact us to explore how we can support your group or organization to experience the power of Legislative Theatre.
>> Please see below for highlights from past Legislative Theatre projects.
Transgender Youth Legislative Theatre Project 2017
The Transgender Youth Legislative Theatre project with youth (ages 14-22) focuses on the struggles of living outside the mainstream’s definitions of gender identity and ultimately changing laws and public policy that impact transgender youth. It began with a week-long, intensive workshop in August 2017 and culminated with two interactive Legislative Theatre performances in September 2017. The project was co-facilitated by
Marc Weinblatt assisted by youth activist Tanner DeLuna.
“With this project, we can improve not only our queer community but our community as a whole.” – Sam, age 20
Featured in Yes! Magazine
Transgender Youth
Legislative Theatre Project
READ THE ARTICLE >>
Notable outcomes include:
- Jefferson Healthcare commissioned the Mandala Center to produce a transgender training video to be required viewing for all medical providers and support staff who have contact with the public. Content was driven by a consulting team of transgender youth and adults.
- Gender markers on health intake forms were adjusted to be more inclusive of transgender identities.
- Port Townsend High School staff received specific training on transgender issues in order to better support their students.
- The Port Townsend Library committed to expanding its adult and youth collection on transgender materials including trans main characters and trans authors.
- The PT Library hosted a public presentation on our project as part of International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. This included videos and a Q & A led by some of the youth participants.
Overview of the Transgender Youth Legislative Theatre project. (Length 8:30)
“Queer Survival Quest” Forum Play — a day in the life of a gender non-conforming person. (Length 11:50)
One direct outcome of the Legislative Theatre Transgender Youth Project, “We are Here” is a training video for health care professionals to support transgender people. (Length 16:00)
October 2015: Healthcare Access / Affordability
Port Townsend, Jefferson County, WA
FIRST ~ Community stories were brought to life using Playback Theatre to begin a dialogue and honor experiences around healthcare access and affordability.
NEXT ~ Based on those community stories, a Forum Theatre Play was created to show the problems being faced locally and beyond.
THEN ~ Local legislators and policy makers, including Jefferson County Hospital Commissioners, healthcare administrators, practitioners, and advocates were invited to join a community dialogue to investigate solutions to the problems presented in the Forum play. A Legislative Theatre process followed to engage solutions that local leaders could consider enacting.
FINALLY ~ Organizers follow-up with legislators and policy makers to work to manifest positive systemic change.
UPDATE~ Four years after this event on June 13, 2019 the first dental clinic in the state of Washington opened to address the needs of Medicaid patients and the under and uninsured of our community.
May 2016: Youth Empowerment Project
Youth perspectives on the failure of the education system
Port Angeles, Clallam County, WA
The League of Women Voters partnered with Mandala Center
for Change to support local youth to feel empowered in affecting change on local policy, especially as it related to public school. The youth created a Forum Theatre play, “America’s Next Top Failure: School Edition” to show the problems they are facing. With a community audience and local school board members, advocates, administrators, a Legislative Theatre process took place to explore laws, policies and solutions to the problems
the youth had presented.