S2 E21: Creativity in Conflict with Chen Alon

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff discuss their return to work and life after the 6th International Teaching Artists Conference in Oslo, Norway. They discuss Madeleine’s interview with Dr. Chen Alon, a theatre activist, teaching artist, and professor in Israel/Palestine. The discussion contemplates an evolution of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, bridging polarized communities, and hope. In this episode you’ll learn: How theatre education activities can bridge polarized groups in a society; What ways teaching artists provide necessary contextualization in moments and spaces of conflict; and What practices cultivate hopeful actions of imagining new futures amidst conflict. Please download the transcript here. ABOUT CHEN ALON: Dr. Chen Alon is a theatre activist, director and scholar. Alon is the head of Community Theatre and Artivism (Art & Activism) Program in the Theatre Arts Department at Tel-Aviv University. Alon is a co-founder of Combatants for Peace, a movement of Palestinian and Israeli combatants who have abandoned the way of violence and struggle together non-violently against the occupation. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, with Suleiman Khatib, Co-Founder of Combatants for Peace (2017-2018). Activism in the complicated reality in Israel/Palestine led him, as a professional actor and director, to search and create new forms of activist theatre with conflicted groups of Palestinian and Israelis, prisoners, drug addicts, homeless people and youth. Alon is the founder of Holot Theatre, a company of African asylum seekers and Israeli citizens. The 'Polarized Model of Theatre of the Oppressed' that Alon has developed in the past two decades is depicted in the documentaries Disturbing the Peace (Stephen Apkon & Andrew Young, 2015), and Between Fences (Avi Mograbi, 2016). This episode was produced by Madeleine McGirk; the executive producer is Jeff M. Poulin. The artwork is by Bridget Woodbury. Creative Generation’s Digital Media Producer is Daniel Stanley. This podcasts’ theme music is by Distant Cousins. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode’s webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC