A new book by Teya Sepinuk Theatre of Witness: Finding the Medicine in Stories of Suffering, Transformation and Peace debuts this week. It tells the story of those whose stories are often not told. Taking the beauty and suffering of those we call "the great unwashed," Sepinuk mines the truths of refugees, immigrants, survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse, ex-combatants, members of the security forces, teenage runaways, prisoners and their families, people living in poverty or without homes, families of murder victims, women in transition, people in recovery and survivors of war." She also tells her tale and reveals how she developed her techniques and philosophy.
Theatre of Witness is a model of performance, first developed in 1986 that gives voice to those whose worlds are not on the front pages. According to their website "the true, life stories, of people from diverse backgrounds are performed by people themselves, so that audiences can collectively bear witness to issues of suffering, redemption and social justice." Techniques include spoken word, music, movement and cinematic imagery, but all "put a face and heart to societal issues of suffering, and celebrate the power of the human spirit to grow and transform."
Two productions/productions to-be fascinate me the most of the over 40 that Sepinuk has created in her many years as a theatre artist. One is Release which deals with men who are coming to terms with the legacy of their past in Northern Ireland. The show includes a former prison governor, a former detective, a former British soldier, two ex-prisoners and a man who had been blown up in a car bomb as a child. The production toured Ireland through November, 2012, and will tour internationally during 2013. A documentary will be released of the show as well, premiering in April, 2013. See the website for details.
The other show I'd love to see, Women and War ,will bring survivors of war from countries such as Rwanda, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Gaza, Israel, Sudan, East Timor and Northern Ireland.beyond Northern Ireland together to share their struggles of building peace in the aftermath of conflict . What an amazing idea, to forge such a community and have these woman create theatre together.
A book launch in the U.S. will occur in Philadelphia on April 25th and early reviews are great: "“If you have any doubts about the power of socially-engaged theatre to challenge and heal, the stories and reflections in Theatre of Witness should put them to rest,” said Howard Zehr, professor of Restorative Justice, Center for Justice & Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.