Performances of Plays and Music
Summary
Performances of plays, music, or other art in public to communicate a campaign message — Sharp’s method 36 (Performances of plays and music), one of the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, classified under the Drama and Music subcategory of nonviolent protest and persuasion [source: commons-198-methods].
Body
Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action catalogues method 36 as Performances of plays and music, classified under the Drama and Music subcategory alongside Humorous skits and pranks (35) and Singing (37) [source: commons-198-methods].
The method encompasses street theatre, agitprop performances, guerrilla musicals, protest concerts, and any artistic staging whose function is to communicate a campaign demand to a wider audience than the performers’ own circle. Sharp’s pairing of performances of plays and music with the adjacent humorous skits and pranks method indicates that the method’s distinguishing feature is sustained artistic form (a complete play, a full concert set) rather than a one-off gag.
Worked examples
- bangladeshis-use-art-and-performance-demand-release-bangladeshi-photographer-shahidul-alam-2018 — the 2018 Bangladesh photographer campaign fused street art, performance, and digital pressure to demand the release of a detained photographer.
- high-point-students-protest-for-theater-integration-1960-1964 — High Point, NC students (1960–1964) organised a multi-year campaign for theatre desegregation, a worked example of the cultural-form-as-tactic pattern.
- guatemalan-workers-at-lunafil-win-410-day-occupation-despite — the 410-day Lunafil occupation in Guatemala included sustained cultural programming as a sustaining tactic alongside the work stoppage.
See methods-of-nonviolent-action for the broader method library.
FAQ
What are performances of plays and music as a tactic?
Performances of plays, music, or other art in public to communicate a campaign message — Sharp’s method 36 (Performances of plays and music), one of the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, classified under the Drama and Music subcategory of nonviolent protest and persuasion [source: commons-198-methods]. The method encompasses street theatre, agitprop performances, guerrilla musicals, protest concerts, and any artistic staging whose function is to communicate a campaign demand to a wider audience than the performers’ own circle.
How does this method relate to adjacent ones?
Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action catalogues method 36 as Performances of plays and music, classified under the Drama and Music subcategory alongside Humorous skits and pranks (35) and Singing (37) [source: commons-198-methods]. Sharp’s pairing of performances of plays and music with the adjacent humorous skits and pranks method indicates that the method’s distinguishing feature is sustained artistic form (a complete play, a full concert set) rather than a one-off gag.
When is the cultural-form-as-tactic pattern most effective?
The pattern is most effective when the artistic form is calibrated to the audience — High Point, NC students (1960–1964) organised a multi-year campaign for theatre desegregation, a worked example of the cultural-form-as-tactic pattern; the 410-day Lunafil occupation in Guatemala included sustained cultural programming as a sustaining tactic alongside the work stoppage [source: commons-198-methods]. The performances function both as the message and as the sustaining activity for long campaigns.