By , Special to JTNews
Jewish Family Life Education, the educational arm of Jewish Family Service, invites members of the Jewish community to attend an in-depth exploration and examination of one’s Jewish identity through a nontraditional method, “Theatre of the Oppressed,” on May 19. Marc Weinblatt, the featured presenter, will be in Seattle to offer this community based, popular education model to promote and lead the exploration into our Jewish identities.
Weinblatt, founder and director of the Mandala Center for Awareness, Transformation & Action in Port Townsend, is dedicated to creating community dialogue, social justice and personal transformation. Marc is an internationally recognized leader in the use of Augusto Boal’s ground-breaking Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to stimulate personal and social change. TO uses tools from the theatrical world to create a deeper awareness of issues, to problem-solve, to build community and to resolve conflicts. The work is not about entertainment and is designed specifically for non-theater people.
The goals are to increase awareness about personal Jewish identity and to learn how to more effectively deal with struggles associated with one’s identity. The participants determine the topics discussed and explored as they work through various techniques in relation to questions brought up.
Karen Gorrin, director of Community Outreach and Education at JFS, will assist Weinblatt at the workshop. They met six years ago when she served on the board of directors at Seattle Public Theater, where Marc was then the artistic director. In addition, Karen served as the former artistic director of Chicago’s Imagine Theater, where she led “Voices from the Street,” a playwriting program with the StreetWise homeless community.
The workshop, called Members of the Tribe, is May 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stroum Jewish Community Center. The cost is $60/$75 after May 6. Scholarships are available. JFS is offering an optional gourmet kosher box lunch for $15. To sign up for this workshop, contact JFS at 206-461-3240 or [email protected].