We went out for dim sum yesterday with new friends Beto O’Byrne and Meropi Peponides of Radical Evolution Theatre, and the discussion flew between theatre, games, writing, activism, and more.
Radical Evolution Theatre, founded in 2011, “is a producing collective committed to creating artistic events that seek to understand the complexities of our multicultural existence in the 21st Century…: that uses “an ensemble-based approach to create aesthetically and formally rigorous events that bring together people from disparate backgrounds, to break down barriers between cultures and creative practices.”
Their “About page” goes on to say that they “collaborate with people from many different identities with whom we build capacity to relate to each other across difference, with a focus on people of color, to seed the field of performance with practitioners that celebrate the intersectionality of perspectives and aesthetics of the city around us. Through this approach, we work to assert a vision for cultural and social equity in our field, city, and nation.”
One of the theatres that Radical Evolution has been collaborating with for an upcoming podcast project, now in its research stages, is called “The Freedom Theatre,” based in the West Bank. Their website says:
“The Theatre programme contains activities that introduce particularly the young generation to theatre and drama, providing them with important tools for dealing with the hardships of daily life under occupation.” They stage “original theatre productions that reflect, comment upon and challenge the realities of contemporary Palestinian society.”
I’m writing this partly to tell YOU all about this, because I love that the Freedom Theatre exists–it’s important work, and dangerous work (past directors have been assassinated or imprisoned)–and I want to support it in any way I can. Their mission statement is fierce. Their donation page is here.
I also want to support Radical Evolution Theatre in all its upcoming projects. One that I know about, because Carlos and I attended the launch party for it, is called “Little Known Legends.”
It’s available for free on Spotify and Apple: “a limited series podcast adapted from Beto O’Byrne’s play, “The Corrido of the San Patricios”. It tells the story of the St. Patrick’s Battalion (Los San Patricios)–a group of mostly Irish immigrants who defect from the US Army to fight for Mexico during the Mexican American War. An epic tale taking us across oceans, deserts and into the heart of one of the most unjust wars in US History, Little Known Legends uses this epic story to ask pressing questions around immigration, citizenship, and what happens when people follow their conscience to actively disrupt political systems.”
Because we went to the launch, we know that the actors are exquisite, the soundscape awe-inspiring, the international collaboration that went into the piece dazzling, and this quiet piece of history profoundly moving. So… I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A LISTENING PARTY FOR IT!
Apparently there are whole folksongs written about these events, mostly Irish and Mexican, though the U. S. history books consider the defection an act of treachery. What a piece of theatre!
C.S.E. Cooney 