Ready for some Street Theatre?

Ever thought about trying STREET THEATRE but don’t know where to start?

Street Theatre is a fun, creative way to raise awareness and share your message – plus, people love to see something interesting going on while they wander the downtown on a Saturday afternoon. All you need is a few people, an afternoon and a public location.

The theatre is the hook, and you have volunteers with the petitions ready. By the end of it you will want to do Street Theatre again and again.

To get you started here are two YouTube video clips which show you a Street Theatre performance in Toronto (March 2010) and the “Kernels of Truth” play from our No Patents on Life campaign at World Youth Day in 2002.

You can read more about the March 2010 Street Theatre in Toronto through this post here.

Street Theatre tips

Any successful performance has certain key roles. For a Street Theatre performance these roles are a Narrator, Actors and Educators.

Narrator:

Good street theatre has a “voice” or narrator to give context to the acting. The “voice” should be someone who does not mind speaking like they are someone’s “moral” voice. Their voice should carry, by talking loudly without intimidating or insulting observers.

Actors:

This role in street theatre involves acting by creating evocative images. The role is not to confront or challenge people, but rather to use emotional arguments to help them “see” the problems you are presenting. Actors are generally confident, and able to communicate through imagery. Each time you do the skit you will get better and better.

Educator:

In street theatre some people are “educators”. Their role is to diffuse tension and to speak with people who want more information. They can describe the campaign, hand out flyers and offer the petition for people to sign. Usually, educators have  a good understaning of the issue and share it with others.

You can download this info in our ”Street Theatre Package” here.