If I Get Arrested for theatrically protesting, how will you free me?

If I Get Arrested for theatrically protesting, how will you free me?

Henry Raby, 4 October 2012

Well actually, why should we? We can't make allowences for one person when the whole system is problematic. And besdies, it depends on the reason for protest. What if the BNP made a piece if theatrical protest?

Well what ARE forms of theatrical protest?

Invisible Theatre (subtle, hidden behind the normal, for example Paralympic athletes hiding their ATOS logos)

Visible Theatre (out in the open, loud, colourful, eye-ectching)

Didactic, with an agenda and a aim. Or more open to debate and discussion.

Intervention, one act against one building/person or Indirect, not aimed at someone but a multitude of issues.

Agit-prop: simple one-issue attack designed to annoy/agitate the target/supporters of target

“the event in itself distracts from the issue”- can the theatricality make the political issue distorted or diluted.

What is the job of the artist with someone imprisoned? To keep the issue and the arestee alive?

But key to theatrical protest is understanding the ‘character’ for the audience to fix on. The image and the story of the piece.

The news has come to the point where 3 million people marching is ignored, but a handful of zombies arrested by police is interesting. The image, spectacle, character and story. Marching A-B is same old, but a small scale incident can make headlines.

Footnote mention of Portugal protest where there was so real sector standing with puppets, colours, theatre, costume etc. No one marking themselves out, raising attention to their Uni, job, theatre, individuality. Is this a cultural thing?

Footnote also briefly touched on: Are elements of a protest theatrical without intention? Black Bloc is a tactic, but can it also be percieved as a ensemble piece in costume?

Tags:

protest, defence, Theatre, liberty, politics, freedom, and, political, riot, rage, justice, socialist, Love, arrest, black, goverment, bloc, anarchist, love, theatre