Performance arts
When we are immersed in mass media and the internet, we can easily see and hear the best performers in the world whenever we want. Unless we are truly exceptional, our own talents will rarely rise to that idealized standard – making it more likely that we'll remain consumers of performance arts, rather than active participants. But there are many ways to engage in the community-building act of performing with others – a joyous expression of being human and alive.
Community theater is a great way to take back entertainment from corporations like Disney and Netflix, and put it in local hands. It also provides a creative way to illuminate issues important to the community.
Take action
- The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) provides a step-by-step guide to starting up a local theater company. They also describe the responsibilities and tasks of "theater people" ranging from stage managers and set designers to choreographers.
- The Community Theater Green Room offers tips from actors, directors and theater crews on props, lighting, and effects – from “cut and paste walls” to “realistic wrinkles” – as well as advice on fundraising, insurance and other matters.
- For those who want to participate in community theater for the first time, this Beginners Guide to Community Theatre gives useful tips on auditions, rehearsals, performances, and more.
Get inspired
- Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont, US has been creating politically charged entertainment for more than 50 years. A core group of puppeteers is supplemented by community volunteers of all ages – no experience required.
- Bibi Bulak, in Timor Leste, was a political theater troupe covering, among other topics, food sovereignty, environmental issues, and poverty. Part of the Arte Moris nonprofit arts school, it produced plays, dramas for community radio stations, and songs to communicate social and environmental messages to mass audiences.
We all have voices, and we can all sing. Singing with others is not only fun, it strengthens our connections to others and builds community at the same time.
Take action
- The organizers of a community choir in Jamestown, Rhode Island, US provide answers to the most common questions about starting a local chorus. They provide further details in this follow-up.
- The UK-based NGO The Big Big Sing offers a wealth of resources for community singing groups, including start-up guides for different kinds of choirs, a songbook with sheet music and audio, and an interactive way to connect with one of more than 3,500 existing choirs in the UK.
- This 10-step guide is for setting up an “all-grrl” a cappella group.
Be inspired
- People who sing in choirs almost always find it a joyful experience. The article Your Brain and Singing: Why Singing in a Choir Makes You Happier explains this connection.
Puppet shows have a long and rich history in many cultures. Although puppet shows are always powerfully appealing to children, the right content can make them both entertaining and thought-provoking for adults as well.
Take action
- This step-by-step guide How to do Effective Puppet Shows is a good starting place, providing tips on characters, plot, staging, logistics and more.
- The website Puppet Building World offers detailed instructions and patterns for making various kinds of puppets, from hand puppets to arm-and-rod puppets, as well as instructions for making puppet stages.
- Not all puppet shows are meant for a small stage. Bread & Puppet Theater has been using large-scale puppets in street parades, political demonstrations, and their own "circuses" and "pageants" for more than 50 years. Their book 68 ways to make really big puppets shows how it's done.
Be inspired
- Modern Times Theater has been performing Punch and Judy puppet shows to overflow crowds in Vermont (USA) since 2007. Their shows combine humor, action and music in a way that engages children and adults alike. They also run workshops to teach puppetry to "participants from 7 to 107 years old."