Acting for peace

“Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world's greatest need.” One of the founders of Theatre of the Beat, Kimberly Walker, quoted the late American author Frederick Buechner after a recent performance at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener. This is a common story at the Centre for Peace Advancement, where a passion for art and creativity merges with the world’s need for peace and justice.  

The work of current and past participants intersects peacebuilding and the arts in a variety of ways. For example, core collaborators such as The Ripple Effect Education (TREE) and the Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) incorporate art into their programs. The Ripple Effect Education (TREE) uses drama and art in their workshops for students to bring conflict resolution skills into their classrooms. Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) has a Creative Minds Youth program for high school students who create a piece of art, essay, or short video about a wide range of topics. But the most striking example of peace and the arts intersecting is found with Theatre of the Beat. 

An alum of the Grebel Peace Incubator, Theatre of the Beat was originally conceived by a group of friends who felt that theatre and peacebuilding had a lot to lend to one another. They began creating thought-provoking theatre to help educate and inspire a diverse audience and community about different topics that are socially relevant. Since they first started in 2011, they have been performing their original plays all around North America (and even in the Netherlands!), educating and inspiring their audience to justice.  

Productions such as their original musical “Selah’s Song,” reconceived post-pandemic with a smaller cast and more puppets, have brought immense success for these “beatniks.” Beatniks are a generation of individuals who have grown up in a time of political and social confusion. The story of Selah’s Song is about a young girl whose courage inspires her village as her anti-war song becomes an anthem of peace.  

Not only does the Theatre of the Beat do performance tours, but they also have programs and workshops including teaching theatre at Grand Valley Women’s Institution, a federal prison in Kitchener. Initiated in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Advancement in 2018, this program was supported by the JustPax Fund. Incorporating incarcerated women’s ideas into theatre work has made Theatre of the Beat the first professional theatre company in Canadian history to do so.  

Addressing important social issues through theatre is a way for individuals to develop self-awareness, community-mindedness, personal growth, and pro-social identity through cultivating embodied art. It is also a way for unheard voices to be heard, recognized, and valued. Theatre is a type of art that opens us to experience different perspectives that we may not have been aware of. Participating in theatre helps us understand what it means to be human.  

Many other events and groups in the region also use theatre to explore and address social issues. Events such as “Living Below the Line” hosted by Civic Hub Waterloo Region, and the “X Page Storytelling Workshop” hosted by the Centre for Peace Advancement have incorporated the art of drama and theatre to speak to issues ranging from the realities of poverty to stories from women immigrants and refugees.  

Theatre of the Beat is currently on tour around North America with their original musical “Selah’s Song” started in Toronto last Friday, May 26th. Be sure to check out their websites for more information about their shows.