S2 E5: Theatre and Social Justice — Creating a Sense of Belonging and a Space to Dream

In the fifth episode of Season Two of The Empty Chair, Yvette Hardie chairs a conversation about theatre and social justice with Mino Lora and Mandla Mbothwe.

Yvette is a theatre director, producer, educator and advocate, focusing on theatre and performance for young audiences. Mino, Founding Executive Director of People’s Theatre Project, is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who has been working as a theatre director, educator, and arts administrator in New York City since 2000. Mandla is a multi-award-winning South African theatre-maker, published playwright, researcher, festival curator, director and art teacher who has been in the industry for over twenty years.

Mino and Mandla talk about their journeys to becoming theatre practitioners, working with marginalised young people and multilingualism. They celebrate theatre as a tool for political education, affirming self-worth, healing, building a new society and finding joy!

In this episode, we stand in solidarity with Cuban musician and activist Maykel Castillo Pérez, widely known by the name Maykel Osorbo. He has been detained since May 2021 for speaking up against state censorship of artistic works. To learn more about his case, go to https://pen-international.org/campaigns/day-of-the-imprisoned-writer-2021 

Listen to the latest episode here: