SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER:
​MERGING THEATRE & HUMAN RIGHTS

Theatre has a direct link to social change. Many plays of the past have addressed social justice issues as a means of communication. One example is Ariel Dorfman’s play Voices from Beyond the Dark; Speak Truth to Power, a play designed for The Robert F Kennedy Human Rights organization as a tool to address human rights issues. These monologues serve as a backdrop to opening up the conversation of human rights defenders all over the world.  This workshop will guide students to understand the journey of a human rights defender from oppression to speaking truth to power. Monologues written by well known human rights defenders (Ghandi, Malala) as well as everyday defenders  are explored through theatrical exercises such as “ Role on Wall”, exercises from Theatre of the Oppressed, tableaux work and personal journey exploration. The culmination will be a presentation of the monologues. The goal is to inspire our students through exploring these and their own lives to become future defenders of Human Rights. 

Presented by

Karen Watson is an actress and a 16th year Drama Teacher with the NYC DOE. She was the NYC coordinator of programming for The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization and created a theater lesson for the worldwide curriculum. She has presented her workshops at colleges, teacher trainings throughout the country as well as conferences( Stage the Change,Educational Theatre Association National Conference) Karen is the recipient of the 2015 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award for her work in theatre and human rights. Karenhas BFA from Syracuse University and a MA in Educational Theatre from City College.
Stage the Change is co-sponsored by Stage the Change, Inc.
The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Hauppauge Public Schools.
Stage the Change programs are made possible with funds from the
Arts Reach Fund at The New York Community Trust, Long Island; The New York Community Trust 
and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the
​Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
This work is supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office of the Governor and the
New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts Council. 
© COPYRIGHT 2025. ​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.