Theatre for the Free People

Vital Stats

Joi S

New York, NY

  • people helped1000
  • People Doing It 25

The Problem

Transformational Activism is the idea that we can tap into the power of mass-collaboration and collective creativity to transform people into more loving, peaceful, and compassionate human beings. It is based on the idea that people need to transform on the inside as well as on the outside to create any meaningful change in the world. This project examines how the arts can be used as a vehicle for transformational activism by re-imagining the concept of open community space.   One of the greatest forms of oppression experienced in marginalized communities is the lack of access to healthy food. Yet we often neglect the idea of how an area feeds itself as a sign of a neighborhood's well-being. This project proposes the creation of an arts and wellness based community center in Harlem, New York. Featuring a community garden and food co-operative this facility would provide free performing and creative arts workshops to the community, as well as provide health and wellness services and education. Looking forward, our vision is to create an innovative as sustainable community building structure which can be replicated in communities all across the globe.

Plan of Action

The first phase of this project is to produce a documentary film called, "Breaking the Food Chains". The Food Justice issue has taken on a fresh new political energy and in an increasing number of grassroots movements people are re-imagining their collective relationship with food. This short film examines how a new generation of activists have created community based ways of producing food in an affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Our long-term vision is to have this program serve as a community-building model by creating a Peace Ambassador Program. This program would invite artists and activists from around the world to travel to the Harlem center and receive training on creating similar programs in their own communities. Theatre for the Free People's International Arts Exchange Program will take a group of teaching artists to Ghana in January 2011. In exchange for providing free arts programming to the village of Humjibre, teaching artists will receive instruction on community-building, farming and cooking. A documentary film be created from this experience as well, and marketed to raise funds for the community space. Our goal is to move into a fully-functioning eco-friendly community space by the end of 2011.
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Homelessness and Poverty

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