Community fairs, festivals, and parties are fun ways to build connections between community members in relaxed, informal settings. Artistic expressions, such as community theater productions or local talent shows can also be memorable ways to knit the fabric of community. Some creative approaches have been developed that work with art and/or play to intentionally foster community transformation at a deep level.

Augusto Boal's "Theater of the Oppressed" (www.theatreoftheoppressed.org)

Theatre of the Oppressed was born in 1971, in Brazil, with the specific goal of dealing with local problems - soon it was used all over the country, and it is now practiced in more than 70 countries. Theater of the Oppressed breaks down the barriers between actors and spectators, interchanging these roles in ways intended to help participants learn how to live in society by playing theater. Theater of the Oppressed is "rehearsal for reality." It's main purpose is to help promote dialogue between human beings through subverting relational forms that tend toward an oppressor-oppressed character.

Healing the Wounds of History

Healing the Wounds of History is a playback theater program developed by Armand Volkas, a professor in the Dramatherapy program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. In his workshops, Volkas focuses on issues of social and political trauma, such as the Holocaust or the Vietnam War. The audience participates in shaping the performances of the actors on stage, who 'play back' the feelings and associations members of the audience have in relation to the topic. The process can be deeply transformative for participants, who get to channel their pain in a public setting and to discover a different perspective on the experience of groups to whom they had previously seen as the 'other.' The following article describes a Healing the Wounds workshop that focused on the Holocaust: http://www.silentvoicesspeak.org/innews6.html. For more information about Armand Volkas, see http://www.ciis.edu/faculty/volkas.html.

Interplay (www.interplay.org)
InterPlay is based in a series of incremental "forms" that lead participants to movement and stories, silence and song, ease and amusement. In the process, participants unlock the wisdom of their bodies and the wisdom in their communities. Interplay is being applied in many different settings, for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.