what happens when we examine local government meetings, often dismissed as tedious and utilitarian, through a theatrical frame.

 While we encountered moments of expected gridlock and procedural boredom, we also saw opportunities for hope and cooperation. In Bismarck, N.D., one council member told me that his job was to “lean in and listen to what causes pain for people and really try to do something about it,” and he felt that this calling transcended his political views or party. 

Perhaps one response to theatrical far-right extremism, then, is this: Instead of trying to build community or find middle ground with people who will probably always disagree with us, we can embrace the theatrical in our own ways and show up with our own creative tools. It’s what organizers do when they bring a hundred tenants dressed in matching colors to push back on a punishing rent law, or what neighborhood kids do when they dress up and prepare elegant speeches to challenge stereotypes and policy. Thinking in these terms convinced us that we could craft a theater piece that embodied that promise.

Perspective by Aaron Landsman

Aaron Landsman is a playwright, teacher, and the co-author of “The City We Make Together,” along with director Mallory Catlett.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/08/12/local-government-theater-ranciere-plato/