TO @ the GWC

The following thesis chronicles a collaborative project between the Garment Worker Center (GWC) and the University of Southern California (USC) Applied Theatre Arts (ATA) program. The GWC is an independent, horizontally run organization that organizes Garment Workers (GWs) to end exploitation in the garment industry. The aim of the project was to supplement the organizing efforts of the GWC using the tools and ethics of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). ❧ The project was conducted using the methodology of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and explored the nexus of TO and horizontalism. It took place over the course of one school year, which included one semester of participatory observation and one semester of implementation. The implementation was divided into two parts. The first consisted of modifying the GWC’s educational trainings (called Capacitaciones) to include theatrical and participatory components through a collaborative exploration of the intersection of TO, horizontalism, and the goals of the GWC. The second component involved facilitating a Theatre Group of GWs during five weeks of workshops, resulting in the creation of two theatre pieces. The first was a street theatre piece performed during the International Workers Day March, and the second was an interactive Forum theater scene performed as part of the USC ATA Theater Festival. ❧ The project’s challenges and successes were evaluated through group feedback sessions, informal interviews, and personal observations. Some identified barriers included: constraints on the GWs relating to the garment industry, internal transitions within the GWC, the structure and pressures of the academic system, difficulty around communication and decision making, as well as insufficient documentation and evaluation. The successes identified included a dramatic shift in the GW’s energy, engagement, participation, and learning, as well as a new vision for how TO might support a wide variety of the GWC’s organizing activities. Additionally, throughout this process the researcher explored, experimented with, and evaluated ways in which horizontalism informs the implementation of TO, which simultaneously provided an opportunity for self-reflexivity and personal transformation. ❧ It was found that, although the TO-influenced Capacitaciones have not reached their full potential yet, they succeeded in significantly increasing the excitement, interactivity and dialogic nature of the sessions. The Theatre Group similarly served to increase engagement of GW participants - who demonstrated improved self-esteem and criticality around the oppressive conditions of the garment industry - as well as provide inspiration for future applications of TO-based activities at the GWC. Unfortunately, although the Theatre Group was positive overall for the GW participants, it failed to address the larger scale organizing goals of the GWC. Ultimately, the time frame and requirements of the academic system along with enormous internal changes at the GWC limited both the success of the project and its ability to truly follow the ethics and methodology of PAR. Even so, the ethics and tools of TO, once adapted to the politics and practice of horizontalism, were an excellent supplement to the activities at the GWC overall.