CHALLENGE CORPORATE BEHAVIOR
entertainer tours
spitfire.org
Rolling Thunder
rollingthundertour
satire/humor
cokespotlight.org
monsantos.com
guerilla art
stickering/postering
stayfreemagazine.org
asis.com/~agit-prop/bbb
(pie throwing)
rtmark.com
political art
cinemedia.net/otherzone
United for a Fair
Economy
ufenet.org/activist/creative/popular_theater
.html
good street theatre
puppet making
Ever since Abbie Hoffman successfully used the art of street theatre to raise consciousness and question societal norms there's been a persistant misconception that street theatre is an effective way to reach people. If only it were that simple. What is missing from the analysis is an understanding of what makes such street antics effective, and what renders it useless if not outright counterproductive. It must be said that all street theatre is not the same. Simply by performing one is not guaranteed the desired impact. Notably, there are at least two considerations that come into play: public perception, and production quality.
First, part of the effectiveness from such theatrics come from the credulity the public tends to bestow upon originality, guts, and humor. But what may be perceived as original, gutsy or funny one day doesn't guarantee it will hold public appeal next week, or the next decade. As with all art forms, the bar is constantly being raised (or lowered if the objective is "limbo") and shifted within society's various subcultures. Just something to bear in mind.
Just as important --and these days often overlooked-- is the quality of the overall production. Yes, even the general public has standards for free public performances. And, as with originality and humor, the public tends to award credibility points for quality--and, conversely deduct for inaudible lines, poor acting, unclear plotline, and shoddy wardrobe. If we want the public not only to hear our message, but to consider it instead of dismissing it, then we need to elicit some degree of confidence from the public that the performers have an interesting point. I'm sorry, but a tin horn "dictator" handing buckets of money (from "Uncle Sam") to carboard gun wielding "gunmen" to mow down a dozen "civilians" may not be the best way to incite public concern over genocide in Guatemala.
On the other hand, even streetclothes-wearing "military police" with cardboard guns can shake-up an onlooker when apparent "bystanders" are pulled from a crowd, shoved against a wall, IDs yanked from their pockets, and made to lie on the sidewalk while the soldiers, nonchalantly aiming their "automatic" cardboard weapons inches from the victims' heads, quietly discuss their fate. If the acting is sufficiently convincing without being overstated, the impact can be quite chilling. But if the performance comes off too simplistic, it can actually tarnish the credibility of the message. (Just as the way anything said by Jerry Falwell would tend to be received without too much serious consideration.) Let's not do that to ourselves if we can avoid it. |
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ALTER THE FOUNDATIONS
OF CORPORATE POWER
satire/humor
theonion.com
satirewire.com
monsantos.com
michaelmoore.com
cokespotlight.org
thismodernworld.com
billboard
liberation
geocities.com/deptcorrect
advertising
subversion
adbusters.org
subvertise.org
AdAnon
http://www.critpath.org/illcompute/myfault.html
fun
globalarcade.org
anti-
commercialism
enviroweb.org/issues/enough
newdream.org/campaig
n/kids/125tips.html
(125 tips for parents)
anti-consumption
publicly-created public art
non-corporate art
accessible art
individual
responsibility
battling racism
tao.ca/~colours/
culture jamming
levity.com/markdery/cul
turjam.html
rtmark.com
syntac.net/hoax/index.php
Propaganda Box
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~coconnor/
kill your television
whitedot.org
anti-brand actions
anti-ad industry
worker pledge
benefits/fundraisers
milarepa.org
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BUILD NON-CORPORATE ALTERNATIVES
Do-It-Yourself
movement
non-commercial
culture
burning man
envisioning a better future
YES! Positive Futures Network
futurenet.org
sustainability
thinkpop.org
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PROMOTE THE MOVEMENT |
