In the spirit of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, Baltimore Center Stage will be home to an annual Legislative Theatre Forum Festival. Legislative Theatre uses roleplaying to engage community members in identifying solutions to unjust and inequitable systems and institutions, then translating those ideas into new laws. It’s a paradigm-shifting technique that began in Brazil and has spread around the world.
How does Legislative Theatre Forum Festival work?
- WATCH original plays based on the actors’ lived experiences.
- ACT on stage to brainstorm alternatives to the problems presented. Jokers open the stage to Spect-actors to rehearse new ideas. Everyone writes their ideas on notecards that are processed and sorted by the Policy Advisory Team.
- VOTE with government representatives. Policy-makers present proposals based on the collected ideas. The crowd debates each idea. All present vote on the proposals. If the majority of people accept the idea as presented, the government representatives make a promise to act on those ideas after leaving the theatre.
In Spring 2025, BCS will host the Legislative Forum Festival, a free event that brings together Baltimore residents and invited elected officials to discuss pressing issues such as housing insecurity and the city’s efforts to reduce the number of vacant properties. The festival, focusing in its first year on local issues of housing and equitable development, will provide a platform for participants to express their concerns and be in communication with legislators and policymakers.
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“Theatre provides an opportunity, unlike any other, to build deep connection across an audience and community, it allows us to connect with and give voice to issues that otherwise seem insurmountable. The forum will use the power of performance to amplify local voices, engage activists and audiences, and advocate for social change, making theater a catalyst for community-driven solutions.” – Baltimore City Council President-elect Zeke Cohen |