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cene 1: Marie is unconscious in a hos
pital room, and her partner, Cassie, is
not allowed in to see her. Betsy, a
friend from church, has come to lend
support and witnesses the distress this
causes Cassie. Fortunately, Marie wakes up and
is able to request Cassie’s presence.
Scene 2: Marie and Cassie decide to get mar
ried so they can have the legal rights and
responsibilities—like hospital visitation—asso
ciated with marriage. It is March 2004, and
Multnomah County is issuing marriage licenses
to gay and lesbian couples. When Cassie invites
Betsy to attend the wedding, Betsy declines, say
ing she does not believe in gay marriage.
S
L eap of F aith —
and U nderstanding
A
Act for Action promotes social justice through the use of theater
by Meg Daly
Christian congregation, Marie and
Cassie, want to get married. But
not everyone in their church is
supportive of them.
hese are just a few of the complex situa
The 11-minute play is per
tions explored in a new play developed by
formed one time with a sad and
Jeannie LaFrance to encourage dialogue within
unfortunate ending. (Cassie and
Christian churches on the issue of same-sex
Marie don’t make it to the licensing
marriage. The play invites audience members to office in time and then find out that
“intervene” in the action and try to come up
Marie is very ill and not accepted
with different outcomes.
under Cassie’s insurance plan.)
Five years ago LaFrance founded Act for
Then it is performed again. This
Action, a nonprofit organization that helps
time, audience members can stop
community groups resolve issues around social
the action when they see a prob
Actors Terrie
justice through the use of theater. Her social
lem. An audience member can
change theater is based on a model first devised
come on stage to stand in for a character he or
by Brazilian director and activist Augusto Boat
she believes could create a positive solution.
Boat established the Theater of the Oppressed
LaFrance serves as a facilitator for this process.
in the early 1970s as a way of helping people
Whether or not the audience intervention suc
learn how to fight back against oppression and
ceeds, the drama allows participants to see mul
problem-solve as a group.
tiple ways of addressing an issue.
LaFrance works with organizations to create
“It creates community dialogue through the
plays that “pose a problem” and allow the
ater,” says LaFrance, who has been doing social
groups to develop solutions. In the case of her change theater for more than 15 years. She was
new play, A Leap of Faith, that problem is the
a finalist for the Ford Foundation’s Leadership
fictional situation in which two members of a for a Changing World award in 2002 and was
T
Quinteros (left) and Joy Misra in A Leap of Faith
named by The Portland Observer as a “Woman of
Courage and Vision.”
“Theater can get to people on an emotional
level.... [It| helps people connect to each other
in a different way,” she says.
LaFrance developed the play last year during
the emotional aftermath of same-sex marriages in
Multnomah County. She knew firsthand the ten
sions that Christian churches face. Even though
her church, Ainsworth United Church of Christ,
is an open and affirming congregation, not all
members were entirely comfortable with the fact
that she and her female partner got married.
Working in collaboration with Love Makes a
Family and the Community of Welcoming
Congregations, she set about creating a play in
which no one was the oppressor, per se. Instead,
many different viewpoints are expressed and
given credence. Act for Action recently
received grants from McKenzie River Gathering
Foundation and the Regional Arts and Culture
Council to perform the play 20 times in
Portland-area churches.
The first performance was at LaFrance’s own
church in October. The Rev. Lynne Smouse
López says the play was received “with great
applause and appreciation.” She praises Act for
Action for not imposing an opinion but rather
encouraging congregants “to express their
thoughts, opinions and convictions.”
In a letter to other ministers who may be
considering having the play performed in their
churches, López notes: “We will be challenged
in the months and years ahead to honestly dis
cuss our differing opinions and to listen, read
and reflect upon our Christian faith and what
our faith impels us to do.”
This is exactly the kind of dialogue LaFrance
wants to promote.
“The play gets people to ask: ‘What are my
values? What do I really believe about how all
people should be treated?’” jM
If you think your church or organization might be
interested in booking an A ct FOR ACTION
performance, contact Jeannie LaFrance at
503-287'9628, ext. 2, info@actforaction.org or
www.actforaction.org. The play can be modified
for more secular venues and organizations.
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