Participatory theatre invites the audience to partake in a play — either physically or intellectually. This form of ‘applied theatre’ asks audiences to ponder important questions.
In a 1929 interview for the Berliner Börsen-Courier, playwright Bertolt Brecht chastised theatre that simply “entranced” audiences instead of making them think. His thoughts on how to create plays for a “scientific age” have contributed extensively to studies in Western academia on the importance of participatory art. In Toronto, participatory theatre plays an important role in putting activist issues in the spotlight.
“Art Meets Environmentalism”: a look into Chemical Valley Project
Toronto as an urban centre has for many years supported a rich and diverse participatory — or ‘alternative’ — theatre scene, with some of the most well-known theatres being Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), and Why Not Theatre.
I was introduced to Toronto’s alternative theatre community in 2019 through U of T alum Kevin Matthew Wong’s play, Chemical Valley Project. The documentary-style play delves into the struggles of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ontario.
Surrounded by petrochemical factories in what’s sometimes called “the Chemical Valley,” the Aamjiwnaang First Nation has seen higher rates of asthma, chronic headaches, stillbirths, and infant mortality than Canada’s average.
The play also incorporates the work of Aamjiwnaang activists Vanessa and Beze Gray in combatting the petrochemical giants. With a simple set consisting of only a projector, a sheet, and a single actor — Wong himself — Chemical Valley Project is an understated play offering a powerful education on the petrochemical issue in Sarnia.
Wong co-founded his own theatre in 2014, known as Broadleaf Theatre, which brings various environmental issues to light through a number of pertinent plays. The theatre’s philosophy is “art meets environmentalism,” with a number of plays by Wong and his team highlighting various environmental issues.
In conversing with Wong, he explained that the origins of Chemical Valley Project can be traced back to a set of short plays about Canadian environmental issues called the Broadleaf Plays. While doing research for the project, Wong stumbled upon a VICE documentary about Canada’s toxic valley in Sarnia. Intrigued, he soon found himself on the Toxic Tour of Sarnia where participants get to experience the pollution the Aamjiwnaang First Nation faces firsthand.
It was on this tour that he met Vanessa and Beze. Vanessa is perhaps best known for her role in the shutdown of the Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline in 2015.
After hearing the stories on the tour bus, Wong began to contemplate his own duty. He then met up with Vanessa at a Second Cup near campus, and the idea for Chemical Valley Project was conceived. The first interview with both Vanessa and Beze for the documentary was filmed at the Larkin Building at U of T. The 10-minute documentary about Vanessa’s shutting down of Pipeline 9 soon turned into a 20-minute version, and finally, the current 70-minute rendition.
When discussing his journey as a creative artist, Wong shed light on the fact that the theatre industry is not especially kind or progressive. He was in his second year of taking acting classes at U of T when he and his friends found themselves asking, “What do these plays have to do with the climate crisis?”
While he acknowledges that those plays positively contributed to his acting skills, he feels they had little to do with learning how to be an artist within a world facing its largest existential crisis. Wong feels lucky that he and his peers were able to explore newer and more relevant forms of theatre in a very traditional institution, which he credits to the ambition and support of Baņuta Nora Rubess, a sessional lecturer at U of T’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies.
Wong has a high reverence for the title of both artist and activist as separate entities. While he hopes for these two roles to be mutually supportive, he cautions against conflating them. While the artist can bring the resources, such as “money, time, [and] energy,” to activist spaces as a sign of solidarity, they should be careful not to appropriate the work being done by the activist. The artist’s role can play into creating the cultural shift that ultimately leads to shifts in policy.
Participatory theatre in the time of COVID-19 at TPM
Despite the impacts of COVID-19, not all participatory theatre productions are on pause. Several are meeting the challenge by adapting their productions to digital platforms.
One theatre that has been doing so is TPM, or Theatre Beyond Walls, which is one of the oldest alternative theatres in Toronto, dating back to 1968. TPM aims to support the local theatre community and create a safe and accessible environment for its diverse audiences. Its initiatives include accessible productions and relaxed performances for audiences who need a calmer environment, including those on the autism spectrum.
This year, the theatre is further challenging norms in traditional art spaces by committing to the anti-racism movement. They have introduced “Black Out” nights where tickets are reserved for Black theatre-goers to experience “a show for them, by them.”
One notable production is 11:11, a digital show made by, and starring, Samson Bonkeabantu Brown. 11:11 explores the journey of a young, Black trans man — which Brown himself identifies as — as he attempts to understand ancestral messages embedded within his dreams.
Brown has been nurturing his love of theatre for almost his entire life, having begun as a child at Young People’s Theatre drama camp in Toronto.
He feels that art, in addition to his work as a sangoma — a traditional healer — has been crucial to his navigation of the world. As a sangoma, he relies on ancestral knowledge and holds gratitude for his ancestors for guiding him in many respects, including in the creation of 11:11.
Brown believes that there is an intersection between his work as a sangoma and his work as an actor. As a sangoma, he hopes to heal by giving people their own unique sense of truth.
He thinks that theatre is an effective space for inspiring these truths, whether they are of clarity or solutions, within people and, hopefully, causing the shifts that people need for spiritual healing. Brown’s work in theatre has provided insight on what it means to be a part of the trans community.
Brown told The Varsity that 11:11 holds a unique “bio-mythical” nature; it powerfully communicates his experiences as a Black trans man from South Africa while simultaneously being a story informed and woven by his ancestors. While Brown feels a certain pressure to not let his ancestors down when he is performing, he also knows that his ancestors are with him and that they will not let him down — thus creating a sacred symbiosis.
Grappling with the future of participatory theatre
Both Wong and Brown grapple with the question of what the future of participatory theatre will look like. Wong explains that as time goes by, the “pie” set aside for live theatre continues to shrink. This leads us to contemplate whether we support traditional or innovative forms of theatre. This choice will ultimately determine what kind of live theatre future audiences will be exposed to.
While it isn’t the most optimistic conundrum, Wong hopes that people will find it in themselves to support the precarious labour of acting and participatory art that amplifies the work of frontline activists.
While Chemical Valley Project may not see the stage in upcoming months, Wong encourages audiences to show solidarity by doing their research, buying tickets for similar online shows, and donating to actors’ funds or theatre programs.
Similarly, Brown acknowledges that participatory theatre is a newer and uncertain form of art. He hopes that the future of participatory theatre will be a collaborative space for artists from across the globe. He believes that as we navigate our way through the digital age, increasing opportunities to work with talented people from around the world will lead to never-before-seen creative pieces.
Brown also hopes for a generation of sustainable income in these newer spaces that don’t currently have a strong theatre industry. His show, 11:11, runs from February 10–13, and tickets can be purchased on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis on the TPM website.
