‘Community-ness’ And Making A Difference: Towing The Line

Xris Reardon, artistic director of Third-Way Theatre, has a new show in Melbourne’s outer east. ‘Towing the Line – Distorted Perspectives’ is theatre that aims to make a difference. To me the Third-Way Theatre process sits very comfortably with community-wide dialogues.

About ‘Towing The Line’

Xris is tackling a confronting issue – mental health and community myths. She has involved people from the community in a theatre process to look at the issues and the group has developed a series of short scenes.

The event is ‘interactive’ but Xris says audience participation is absolutely optional.

“Each scene ends in a moment of crisis in order to ask the audience how do we create more understanding about the way in which stigma and discrimination, based on a lack of awareness and education, impacts on people living with a mental health issue…

People can just come along and watch, or if they feel they have an idea, or something they want to say they can contribute in that way as well,” says Xris.

Who is the target audience?

“Anyone from the community who is interested, concerned or curious… (about) community-ness around people living with or caring for someone with a mental health concern.”

Performance Details

‘Towing the Line’ is on at the Healesville Memorial Hall on Friday 5 December with performances at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Entry is by donation. For further information phone Jo Lorey on 5967 2816.

Explaining Third-Way Theatre

Third-Way Theatre invites the living community to use theatre as a tool to give voice to social struggles around hard-to-address issues such as bullying, gender violence, poverty, suicide, alienation, domestic violence, stigma, drug and alcohol addiction, racism, queer parenting, anorexia, obesity, homophobia, transphobia, mental health, and climate justice.

The organisation generates plays that are inter/active. Interactive theatre (FORUM Theatre) stems from the heart of Brazilian Augusto Boal’s, Theatre of The Oppressed.

Third-Way Theatre has collaborated with schools, multicultural groups, neighbourhood houses, residential services, community health services, universities, church groups and activists to support opportunities for collective and social learning, investigating strategies and tactics towards change.

This use of ‘theatre as a laboratory,’ provides an opportunity to critically reflect on the motivations and consequences of actions within a social and political context before acting out in the “real world.” It also assists in dismantling social silences ingested both personally and culturally, by unpacking the way in which the governing system we live in marginalises certain voices and reinforces the dominance of others. The analysis of this mechanism, and our participation in it is imperative in the work of restorative justice. ”

Third-Way Theatre invites the living community to use theatre as a tool to give voice to social struggles around hard-to-address issues such as bullying, gender violence, poverty, suicide, alienation, domestic violence, stigma, drug and alcohol addiction, racism, queer parenting, anorexia, obesity, homophobia, transphobia, mental health, and climate justice. Third-Way Theatre generates plays that are inter/active. Interactive theatre (FORUM Theatre) stems from the heart of Augusto Boal’s, Theatre of The Oppressed

Third-Way Theatre has collaborated with schools, multicultural groups, neighbourhood houses, residential services, community health services, universities, church groups and activists to support opportunities for collective and social learning, investigating strategies and tactics towards change.

This use of ‘theatre as a laboratory,’ provides an opportunity to critically reflect on the motivations and consequences of actions within a social and political context before acting out in the “real world.” It also assists in dismantling social silences ingested both personally and culturally, by unpacking the way in which the governing system we live in marginalises certain voices and reinforces the dominance of others. The analysis of this mechanism, and our participation in it is imperative in the work of restorative justice. “

Towing The Line Flyer