Invisible and Voiceless: The Story of Undocumented Immigrants on Long Island

     This workshop will use Image Theatre from Augusto Boal-Theatre of the Oppressed to explore the concept of Immigration and cultural dominance in America.  Image Theatre uses the body as a tool of representing relationships, ideas, feelings. Using exercises we will explore the concept of displacement of people as a forced movement from their local, environment and occupational activities. Through sculpting participants’ bodies, student will create images that reflect the sculptor’s impression and will to explore internal or external oppression, unconscious thoughts and feelings about the perception of the “other.”

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Presented by....

     Teatro Yerbabruja is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2004 by Puerto Rican artist Margarita Espada. The organization is committed to advancing cultural understanding by using the arts to promote social change. Teatro Yerbabruja serves as an artistic catalyst and a safe space to nurture local, national and international multidisciplinary projects created by BIPOC, multicultural, and intergenerational artists. The organization also manages and produces works at the historical 2nd Firehouse Gallery and Performance Space. The Second Avenue Firehouse Gallery has become a BIPOC cultural venue, serving its immediate neighborhood (Brentwood, Central Islip and Bay Shore) as well as the greater Long Island community. Teatro Yerbabruja also produces multi-genre community programming including parades, festivals and public art as a part of the downtown revitalization efforts, in addition to after school programs .
      Teatro Yerbabruja is a valuable resource for the BIPOC community on Long Island. The organization provides a space for BIPOC artists to create and perform, and it also offers educational programming that promotes cultural understanding. 

     Jasmine Dorothy Haefner is an internationally performing actress and writer for the screen and stage, as well as a producer and director for film and TV.  Her most recent work is the one-act play 2-Faces, which premiered for a full run at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (★★★★ -LondonTheatre1, “...eccentric and arguably refreshing new writing.” -Kat Mastersons, “...the pair [cycle] through multiple characters with wit and physical energy.” -Scotsman, “...a thrilling and provocative play.” -The Indiependent) 

See more of her work at www.jasminedorothy.com, on Instagram @theJasmineDorothy or on Twitter at @JasmineHaefner