As author Peter Block describes in his book, Community: The Structure of Belonging, beyond its literal definitions of ownership and membership, there is a third meaning to the word “belonging.” Beyond those definitions, belonging can also be thought of as:
“…a longing to be. [And] being is our capacity to find our deeper purpose in all that we do. It is the capacity to be present, and to discover our authenticity and whole selves... [and] community is the container within which our longing to be is fulfilled.”
The arts are a place where we share our creative longings and expressions with the world, a place where our identities begin to matter individually as a part of the whole. Through the arts, marginalized voices and uncomfortable subjects can be amplified safely, and create deeper empathy and understanding of socially difficult issues and identities through the power of expression and communication.
Historically, the performing arts - especially theater -have supported deeper inquiry into subjects that can be otherwise difficult to broach or even name, the contemporary mirror-issues of today which could be subjects such as “Black Anger” or “Violence on the Queer/ Trans Body.”
In 2018, I discovered “playback” theater - a type of theatre that tackles empathy and healing directly. Through a medium designed to build community and grapple with current social issues using improvisation and movement, True Story Theater broaches difficult subjects in their interactive performances, telling people’s stories of stigma, or how they’ve suffered because of their social identity (e.g., because of disability, race, religion, ethnicity, being gender non-conforming, age.) Their work affirms our humanity, and uses the stage in a powerful and immediate way.
As teachers or performers, we have the ability to bring awareness to difficult issues of social identity and belonging through the safe medium of art, and we seek to challenge and inspire creative spaces of social inclusion and courageous sharing in a socially acceptable way.
We speak to our unique human experiences, we tell our stories, we help others to find their voices. That is how we change the world.