Girl Talk Theatre acting classes begin with a short time of sharing and enjoying each other’s company. We then begin exercises and theatre games with a goal to build community and trust, teach basic theatre skills and to just laugh and have a good time together. The participants have a chance to enjoy and be inspired by each other’s creativity. The classes then move towards the use of theatre exercises that give the women a vehicle to tell their stories in a safe way.

To create the lesson plans, we pull from a large variety of effective exercises Iearned and utilized with success during many years as a theatre artists. We also incorporate the work of Brazilian director Augosto Boal and his technique for Theatre of the Oppressed. Señor Boal has spent many years working with those oppressed politically and oppressed through addiction, depression, violence and other issues that are relevant to the women participating. His techniques have proven to be successful and have helped oppressed populations all over the world for many decades.

These exercises that are the focus of the class offer the women a non-threatening way of telling their story. The techniques we offer are tools to tell their story in a fun, organic and non-confrontational way – allowing bits and pieces of the story to come out as the teller feels comfortable. When we refer to the women’s stories, we want to be clear that we mean their whole story. Of course we are deeply interested in facilitating the telling of their story of homelessness and poverty, but we also want to offer ways for them to tell the rest of their story. We offer them prompts that will give them an opportunity to tell us about other important aspects of their lives such as their hopes, dreams, favorite memories, stories about their children, what they dreamed of being when they grew up – whatever they want to share. In the midst of their desperate situation these memories can easily be forgotten or put away. This is an environment where those stories are valued, validated and celebrated in a safe and fun environment.