Today I want to share a video from my favorite group of cultural organizers: Project
HIP-HOP, in Boston, MA. This song was put together to address the intersection of
environmental and economic justice around the fight for affordable public
transportation. It’s also up for the Rio2012 Global Youth Music Contest: you can
vote for it here.
My colleague, community artist Angie Tillges, shared with me news of this newest
performance by the National Youth
Theatre of England. At 55 years old, NYT stakes claim to being the world’s first
youth theatre, and trains hundreds of young people every year, while reaching out to
thousands more through their programming. On their site they argue “that culture is a
perfect platform from which to transform lives and give unique opportunities to young
people, who can explore new friendships and know the true meaning of global
citizenship.”
Their most recent work entitled Slick takes on questions of
environmental degradation, and is performed in the shell of a major redevelopment
project. Below are some clips from the performance by an audience member. They also have
a production called Our Days of Rage, which sounds fascinating. It explores
a history of protest, and is performed in tunnels that
have been turned into a performance space.