Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner and theorist says, “The theater itself is not revolutionary: it is a rehearsal for the revolution.” It is my most deeply seated philosophy that life imitates art. Life can be rehearsed, but remain delightfully unpredictable. In this session, participants will imagine a world where we think before we speak. We will communicate intentionally, revolutionarily and kindly. As an academic and product of the education system, arguably the greatest and most challenging task facing educators is meeting students where they are in a system that often is not suited for that type of flexibility. “Millennials” look to their education to provide them with a set of skills for dealing the world we both inherited and are helping to create, and educators must be prepared to engage them in unique and new ways. This session will particularly benefit those educators with little to no experience with discussing activism or practicing theatre and those who have been connected to social justice education for thirty or more years. A small troupe of Georgia College students will, through a series of problematic scenarios society faces everyday, help educators brainstorm how to talk to students about themselves, their perception of the world, what happens to and around them and what they can do about it. Today, we will figure out the awkwardness, the uncomfortability, the root of conversations regarding law enforcement, racial and ethnic discrimination on college campuses and beyond, and the LGBTQIAA community. Today, we will act! Today, there is no audience, only spec-actors transforming into protagonists. Today, we won’t watch, we will do. Let’s rehearse!
