WHAT IS POPULAR THEATER?

VIOLENCE PREVENTION

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING OF TRAINERS WORKSHOPS AND ONSITE TRAINING

	Specialized Workshops are tailored to meet the particular needs of agencies or organizations. They can focus on developing specific techniques for particular constituencies or audiences. Youth Development  These are designed for youth workers and peer leaders. They teach innovative techniques for increasing youth participation and building trust, confidence, and communication skills. Collective Theater We teach how to develop a theater piece around specific themes, with experienced or inexperienced actors, drawing on participants' own talents and cultures and diverse performance forms. Performance Poetry Poetry can be written, created and performed collectively or individually, or in ways that combine both. We teach how to incorporate drama, song, and dance, or spoken word accompanied by rhythm. We can help participants develop plays based on hip-hop or other verse and music styles. Role Play Role play can demonstrate forms of power, relationships dynamics, temperament, ideology, and social backgrounds of characters in our plays and real people in our lives. We teach use of role play in issue analysis and conflict resolution as well as in script development. Song Writing We teach how to develop lyrics, beat, and melody around different themes. Storytelling We explore storytelling from different traditions and how to develop stories around selected themes. We explore personal or community experiences and package them as stories. Hand Drumming We teach basic and advanced hand-drumming technique, as well as Afro-Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, Francophone Caribbean, and West African rhythms. We teach the use of drumming for confidence building, diversity training, team building and overcoming the impact of trauma, violence and abuse. Rituals Rituals can be forms for conveying information, emotion, and communal values. We explore creation of rituals for individual development, healing, community-building, or performance. Performing Arts for Packaging Information We develop performances on selected themes, such as teen pregnancy and parenthood, gangs and the criminalization of youth, racism, sexism and other forms of oppression, environmental and community health, and other social justice issues. Popular Education for Curriculum Development We use popular education theory and practice to develop innovative curricula for specific groups or issues, which can be combined with video or visual arts. STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention Education and Awareness HIV/AIDS workshops focus on Prevention and Intervention through themese including: Gender and AIDS Reaching the hip-hp generation with a message of prevention Talking to the community Elders because they are at risk and because have much to offer Demystifying the many myths surrounding HIV/AIDS (including the beliefs around age,sexuality and treatment) Teaching empathy and how to support people who are HIV positive Today's reality: We look at current statistics, contemporary messages and new terminology to gain knowledge of new trends in risky behavior, including the down low subculture and its impact, crystal methadone use by gay men and the prison factor, which focuses on AIDS transmission HIV/AIDS and gender socialization Sexism Power and HIV/AIDS Clinical Setting Support We work in clinical settings to support social workers and therapists working with trauma victims, child witnesses to domestic violence, child abuse victims. We build self-confidence and expression through drumming, music, stroytelling, poetry and drama. Hip-Hop Experience has taught us that hip-hop is an effective medium of education. We train facilitators to use hip-hop as a confidence building tool, a trust and group building exercise, and an effective medium for youth development and prevention education programs on violence, drugs, teen pregnancy and other issues. Gender We explore gender socialization and its impact. Workshops include: Understanding gender-based violence Gender socialization and relationship violence Gender and social justice organizations Helping youth understand gender socialization and adults understand youth perceptions of the issue Looking at the root causes for gender inequality, its impact and ways to address it Gender socialization, sexuality and STDs Engaging men and boys in talking about sexism
	How to reach us: Bay Area Popular Theater Project 640 orange Street New Haven CT 06511 USA. Telephone (203) 605 0925. e-mail: rasmo@igc.org