In this one-credit course offered by the Center for the Core Curriculum and sponsored by the Undergraduate Community Initiative, students will gain hands-on training in Theater of War Productions’ unique model of authentic community engagement, leveraging the power of storytelling, shared texts, and live performance to create the conditions for guided discussions with diverse audiences about challenging, often divisive, subjects. Students who participate in the workshops and working group will have opportunities to engage with nearly every element of Theater of War Productions’ model. Participants will also work alongside company members, award-winning actors with years of experience presenting Theater of War Productions’ projects in prisons, hospitals, military bases, homeless shelters, rival gang territories, churches, cultural spaces, public squares, and at universities.
Theater of War Productions works with leading film, theater, and television actors to present performances of seminal texts to provide a framework for engaging communities in powerful discussions about critical subjects, such as: the visible and invisible wounds of war, mental health, substance abuse and addiction, gun violence, the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants, racism, homelessness, the many challenges to public health, political polarization, and the climate crisis. The company uses a combination of live theater and guided dialogue to help diverse communities address pressing public health and social issues, helping break down stigmas and foster empathy, compassion, and a deeper understanding of complex topics.
In this course, students will:
- Attend four two-hour workshops led by Theater of War Productions: Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 25, April 15 (6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.).
- Participate in four one-hour working group sessions: Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 11, April 1 (6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.).
- Support a spring performance of a new project by Theater of War Productions on campus.
- Develop and participate in a series of shorter, student-led projects about key issues on
campus, utilizing Theater of War Productions’ approach to generate community-building dialogue to be presented at the final workshop on April 15.
