Theatre with Purpose
Performers have power. In the Entertainment Industry, you have an audience. People are listening…..to you. What you do with that power is up to you. There is great value in simply entertaining your audience…..transporting them from daily stress into an imaginary world. There are also great opportunities to use your art to inspire, to make people see things from another perspective, to offer possibilities and open minds. Actors make a positive impact in a number of
ways:
- By drawing attention to important causes & raising funds.
- By using improv & roll-playing techniques to work on conflict resolution.
- By creating performance pieces that deliver important messages.
Celebrities like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle and Cameron Diaz draw attention to important causes and charities that range from the Arthritis Society to H20 Africa to The Red Cross. Compassonate Celebrities use their visibility to make a positive impact and the affects are clear. The cool news is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to be heard. You can use your skills as a performing artist to start programs that teach character education through rollplaying or produce work that delivers a positive message.
My company, The Atlanta Workshop Players, produces original musicals that deliver life-lessons to students. To give you an example of the power of the industry, AWP was doing a performance about bullying, called “Masquerade”. During the Q & A after the show, a 13 year old boy stood up out of the audience and took the mic. He said to the entire student body “I am the bully you saw up on that stage and it’s wrong and that’s ending right now.” The audience erupted in
applause….there were tears & goosebumps. It was such a privilege to witness a pivotal moment in this young boy’s life. He was inspired by the story he saw unfold on stage. It changed his life. Pretty cool!
You’ve got the power……Now, have fun changing the world!
