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MAGNT’s purpose is to provide a space where individuals seeking understanding of themselves and their world come together to learn, to play and to connect. |
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MAGNT Meeting Saturday, May 8, 2010 10 AM to noon
Unity South Church 7950 First Ave. So. Bloomington, 55420
You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This
Looking at Ourselves and Our Worlds Through
"… never send to know Program Facilitators: Andi Cheney, Ira Gordon, Annika Gunderson, and Joan Haan Actually, most of us aren’t vain enough: we think the play we’re watching (or even the play we’re in the middle of) isn’t about us. And that’s too bad. Because it is … Carly Simon notwithstanding. In antiquity, theater was communal ritual, performed in a sacred circle. The line dividing audience from performer was thin if not non-existent. Gradually, that changed. In both tragedy and comedy, the wall separating actors on the one hand and passive spectators on the other became thicker. Stages became proscenium stages, shrouded in curtains. The mirth and terror inherent in the magic of theatrical story telling was sanitized. If the play was about us, it was about us in a safe and very non-threatening way. In the 20th century, that trend finally began to reverse. Playwrights such as Pirandello, Brecht, Ionesco, Becket, Genet, and Albee undertook to experiment with devices that challenged the traditional relationship between the audience member and the character on stage. Then, in the 1970’s, another bold experiment: The Brazilian theoretician, playwright and social activist Augusto Boal asked himself, “What if we went much further in breaking down the barrier between spectator and actor?” The result: an entirely new way of inserting the audience into the play – an approach he called “Theatre of the Oppressed.” Boal’s vision: to give theater back to the sacred circle, to empower spectators with the tools needed to overcome their various oppressions, to become active agents for change in their personal and public lives. In this MAGNT session, several actors who have recently trained in the Boal method will be demonstrating how theatre of the oppressed works and how it might have practical bearing on our lives. There are no prerequisites for attending this event. Whether you are extrovert, introvert, ham, or bashful, if you would like to explore ways in which to refine or revise your own yin/yang, your own blend of passivity and actorness, join us. Please note: Owing to the nature of the process that will be the focus of this program, there will be no formal break in the morning’s proceedings.
Saturday MAGNT meetings are free and open to the public. No need to pre-register. Just come and be warmly included. MAGNT, the Minnesota chapter of the Association for Global New Thought, offers activities to expand consciousness. Its purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to create an awakened world. MAGNT is supported by local Unity and Religious Science churches. Come to learn, to ask questions, and to engage in spirited conversation with the group. We look forward to seeing you.
Saturday, May 8, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Unity South Church 7950 First Ave. So., Bloomington, MN 55420
Peace and blessings to you,
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