Theatre means
"Arena of the Gods"
(Greek).
Sheatre means "Arena
of the People"... of the she's and
he's... s/heatre.
Since 1990 Sheatre has produced and co-facilitated
over 60 community based plays and interactive
theatre forum presentations to over 40,000 people
in Canada, the US and England. We have produced
one video documentary, an audiotape of original
music, mounted the cutting-edge Womenfolk Festival
(1996), founded the innovative "face to face"
alternative youth theatre program, conducted numerous
workshops in schools and for community organizations,
and have provided consulting services for festivals
and theatre companies.
This adventure in theatre began in 1985. At the
request of and under the umbrella of , Joan Chandler,
Artistic Director started a small popular theatre
group. Originally exploring the reality of these
eight rural women using popular theatre methodology
and lots of experimentation, we could be found
playing in living rooms, farm yards, the woods,
a log cabin and on the beaches of Lake Huron.
We learned that the process changed lives, and
was simply too much fun for words.
We did our first theatre forum show, and then
presented what might well be the very first use
of theatre as a tool for changing government legislation
(1986) -
The collective became aware of the potential
for providing benefits to the community by expanding
the scope of operations. Sheatre began to conduct
projects with other community agencies. To better
suit the future business needs, the group became
incorporated in Ontario as a separate non-profit
entity with a Board of Directors in December of
1990.
We still do workshops on beaches, in forests,
and in small halls and backyards.... and you can
find us in schools, at resorts, and in theatrical
spaces.
We've grown, but we're always down to
earth.
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