EXERCISE: Guerrilla theatre
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Guerrilla theatre
Guerrilla theatre, whilst mostly used as a public action, can also be used in training by developing individual self-confidence and group cohesion. It is used for public education; its production is cheap. In addition, it is fun and can be combined with street-speaking and leafleting or form part of a larger campaign. The number of participants can range from a few to a few dozen. Skits can range from the most simple to elaborate, with varying complexities of make-up, costumes, and props.
An example of guerrilla theatre is a skit that might be given by a Women's Liberation group, designed to show the folly of categorizing men and women in narrow stereotyped ways. The plot might go this way: a man wearing an apron is stirring a stew on the stove; two children are playing nearby, The wife comes in wearing a man's hat and suit and carrying a briefcase. Dialogue follows, using such clichés as: 'How did it go today, dear?' 'All right. but I spent hours on that Smith account.' Children act up and 'wife' scolds them, starting an argument with 'husband'; a farce develops with such lines as 'Men don't understand things,' and 'Women are too emotional.' Pitched battle ensues; humor comes in as clichés are used in a situation of reversed roles.
As training, guerrilla theatre is limited by taking so much time to prepare and perform, with marginal returns in terms of training. Small guerrilla theatre production may be valuable when people are not yet ready to face street-speaking in training; but trainers should be wary of groups doing guerrilla theatre at the expense of other types of training.
