Guerrilla theater has proved to be a very effective tool for dramatizing some of the contradictions that are part of the fabric of our society. Activists have taken the stage to the streets to bring messages before audiences that would never be found in the role of expectant customers in a theater. The aims of guerrilla theater are parallel to other forms of the art: through symbol, to help people interpret the reality of the world around them. The difference with guerrilla theater is that it uses shock effect to awaken people to the injustices and inhumanities that the establishment hides through the rhetoric of its myths.
Guerrilla theater arose as a widely used art form in the political discord of the late '60s; however, its antecedents go back much further—at least to 750 B.C. The prophets of the Old Testament often resorted to symbolic actions of one sort or another to convey their messages from God to the people. Some of these acts were definitely of the same germ as guerrilla theater—symbolic actions in the street designed to shake people out of their lethargy and help engender an awareness of the cancerous problems of the society around them. There are a number of examples in the writings of the prophets. For instance, Isaiah walked around naked for three years to dramatize his point (Isaiah 20). In Jeremiah 19, we find the prophet smashing an earthenware jug in front of the members of the city council of Jerusalem to warn them that God intended to break the city and the people just as the jug was broken.
Probably the most extended description of guerrilla theater in the Bible occurs in Ezekiel 4-5. The prophet performs a number of actions designed to dramatize the impending fate of the people of Jerusalem and Judah. In chapter 4:1-3, the prophet constructs a model of the city of Jerusalem with siege works around it. This model was probably built in a public place, such as in front of Ezekiel's house, so large numbers could see it.
After building the model, the prophet was to lie on his left side for 390 days as a sign of the number of years of judgment on Israel for its rebellion against God; he was to then lie on his right side for 40 days, symbolic of 40 years of judgment against Judah. He was to face the siege of Jerusalem (probably represented by the model) with his arm bared (which probably symbolized readiness for drastic action—see Isaiah 52:10).
During the time the prophet was performing this symbolic action, he was to consume a severely restricted diet—about eight ounces of bread and a pint of water each day. The bread was to be made from the sweepings of various grains. These starvation rations related the famine of the approaching siege to the other things he was doing to grab the people's attention.
An additional symbolic action Ezekiel was to perform to symbolize the coming destruction of the nation is found in the first part of Chapter 5. He was to shave his head and weigh the hairs into three equal parts. Shaving the head was in itself a sign of disgrace and mourning. One can imagine the shock of the crowd—watching with fascination as he whetted his razor, wondering what the prophet was about to do next. Then the gradual realization of horror as he began to shave himself and meticulously weigh out the three piles on a balance. They would be absorbed with his action as they watched him proceed to burn one pile of hair, symbolic of those who would die because of the siege conditions; then the crowd would grow as it followed him around the city as he scattered another third with the point of a sword, symbolizing those who would die at the hand of the assaulting armies; finally, they would stop with him and watch as he threw the remaining hairs up and scatter them to the four winds symbolic of the dispersion of the survivors among the nations. He would still have their rapt attention as he carefully searched in the sand, picking up scattered hairs and placed them in the folds of his robe, symbolizing the Israelites who would return to Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity. Watching Ezekiel perform these acts would be bound to be a profoundly disturbing experience for the onlookers—the very essence of guerrilla theater.
Social justice was an integral part of the message of the prophets of the Old Testament, whether the message was directed toward the apostasy of the people, the oppression of the rulers, or the crimes of the surrounding nations. Then as now, guerrilla theater was a valuable tool for dramatizing injustice and forcing people to a new level of awareness. Unfortunately, in most cases the people of God are no longer in the forefront of confronting oppression as the prophets were. Certainly people operating out of an explicit Christian commitment were not the ones who revived guerrilla theater in the late '60s. Still, it is a valuable technique for both Christians and secularists to use in exposing the organized irresponsibility of our society.
A few practical suggestions might be in order for those who have not done guerrilla theater and are interested in starting. The main thing to remember is that your greatest resource is the creativity of you yourselves. Resources like props, costumes, acting skills, etc. are helpful, but not necessary. Basic is the knowledge of the specific forms oppression takes in your community, and then collectively brainstorming about the acted metaphor that will force people to look at the situation in a new way. From then on, the job is easy—the improvisation of specific roles to actualize the plan. The best plots are simple; the action is usually too brief to have a long, involved plot. The actions and words are often grotesque, to grab people at the gut level—the dialogue and action are to produce a gut response, not provide intellectual information. Factual material can be conveyed by leaflets, speeches, teach-ins, or other means. Guerrilla theater says, "WAKE UP, PEOPLE!" There are other specific details you should familiarize yourself with. Erika Mumk's Guerrilla Theater should be a good source; The Organizer's Manual is an invaluable source for guerrilla theater and a multitude of other practical details you should know about, such as legal defense, and the type of small group you should aim for your troupe to become.
One more word—to do guerrilla theater you have to be willing to risk yourself as a person; not so much the risk of physical injury, though this might be present. The risk I'm talking about is the psychic risk of extending yourself into a totally new situation. The fear of the unknown can become very real the first time you are performing and the police approach while a TV cameraman blinds you with his klieg lights from four feet—which is exactly what happened to me in my first attempt at acting in the streets. Hopefully, you will be working in front of a neutral (i.e. non-hostile) audience; even so, you will be likely to encounter those who feel you are some sort of kook on an ego trip, and verbally write you off with some choice expressions. However, most of the hassle is with fear of the unknown, which is naturally overcome the first time you get out and do it. Considering the reason for doing guerrilla theater, the accompanying psychic risk shrinks to insignificance in comparison, especially when you get into the position to look back in retrospect. The prophets of the Old Testament have provided us with a precedent. All I can say is get your heads together, get your group together, and get it on.
"But let justice fall down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." -Amos 5:24
When this article appeared, Boyd Reese was on the staff of The Post-American, precursor to Sojourners magazine.
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