People who attend this project could put what they learn into action on Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24.
The Eye & Tooth Project!
With support from Amnesty International–Houston / Local Group #23
And performance space offered by Rude Mechs and The Off Center
How can citizens lobby more effectively for abolition of the death penalty in Texas?
How can we hone our ability to dialogue with multiple audiences on the injustice of
capital punishment, particularly when others disagree with us?
The Eye & Tooth Project is a Forum Theatre project that invites participants to explore the questions above—and other questions that arise in the process of working toward abolition. We’ll also discuss how we can help build momentum for bills related to the death penalty introduced in the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature.
What is Forum Theatre? Forum Theatre is an interactive theatre form devised by Brazilian artist/activist Augusto Boal for people of all levels of theatre experience (or no theatre experience whatsoever). Facilitators set up a process through which workshop participants create a short play. At the end of the workshop process, participants perform that play for spectators. Audience members are invited to call out “Stop!” at any moment and to step into the action to devise new approaches to the issues at the heart of the play. Audience interventions serve as springboards for dynamic discussion.
We welcome participants with a variety of relationships to this issue, from victims’ families to families of incarcerated persons or individuals on Death Row to lobbying groups and other interested citizens. In short, if you want to be there, we want you there!
Eye & Tooth-Austin has two phases:
Phase 1) An introductory/organizing workshop–THIS SUNDAY!
THIS Sunday, February 8th, 2009, from 1-5pm in Room 1.148 in the Winship Drama
Building (at the NW corner of 23rd and San Jacinto at the University of Texas at
Austin). We’ll introduce some basics of Forum Theatre and discuss directions for the
play we’ll work together to create during the March 6-8 workshop.
Phase 2) Weekend workshop and Forum Theatre performance, March 7 & 8.
Workshop Times: Saturday, March 7, 2009 from 10 am to 7:00 pm (with lunch break)
Sunday, March 8, 2009, from 12 noon to 6 pm (with snack break–we’ll provide snacks!)Workshop Location: Room 2.180, Winship Drama Building
(on the NW corner of 23rd and San Jacinto at the University of Texas at Austin)
Public Forum Theatre showing and discussion: Sunday, March 8 at 7:30 pm
Location: The Off Center @ 2211-A Hidalgo(Home of the Rude Mechs)
Email kellybhowe@yahoo.com to sign up for the workshop, so we can send any additional information as the workshop draws closer. Or if you can’t do the workshop, just come
join us for the public performance!
Facilitators: Kathleen Juhl (Southwestern University), Kelly Howe (UT-Austin), and
John Sullivan (UT-Medical Branch).
Necessary skills or experience: None. All you need to bring is your willingness to discuss why you’re invested in the issue of capital punishment. The facilitators will bring the rest.
Questions? Contact Kelly Howe at kellybhowe@yahoo.com or 502.558.9745 or Kathleen
Juhl at juhlk@southwestern.edu.
Today like many other states are doing in question to the death penalty – the drug of coice to execute some sone, is the same drug
use to put an animal to death. The
death penalty does not work, and it sure is not a detourant. Also one issue that I have not heard any one speak about, and is the use of doctors, physician assistant, paramedics to prepare
a prisoner for execution, and administer the drugs. This in itself, is totally wrong and a violation of the oath that each one of these people must take, to cause no harm to anyone. So in essence the states that carryout the dealth penalty should be charge with murder; and also anyone in the medical professions
who help carryout the death penalty, should loose their medical license and be charge with murder.
Respectfully,
Sam Lonewolf