After mounting a successful revolution, four political agitators report back to their party leader and reveal that in the course of struggle they executed their young comrade. In order to explain their actions, they stage a play. In The Measures Taken, Bertolt Brecht leads us to question the nature of violence, solidarity, and sacrifice, as we follow the four agitators' mission to spread propaganda, incite communist revolution, and overturn the evils capitalism.
This production of The Measures Taken has sought to use Brecht’s learning play as a way to engage organizers, activists, and the general public to discuss its highly relevant issues: from the role of unions in revolutionary work to the complexity of the use of violence to enact social change. In 2022 and 2023, this show was performed in public parks, activist spaces, and community gardens throughout NYC and Chicago featuring collaborations with The Poetry Project, Haymarket Books, the Interference Archive, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, the Center for Place, Culture and Politics, Democratic Socialists of America, Crown Heights Tenant Union, Brooklyn Eviction Defense, Movement of Rank and File Educators, the People’s Forum, Club A, the Gym, and Bushwick City Farms.
Each performance was followed by a facilitated discussion with the audience, led by a guest facilator including Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Ben Davis, Adelita Husni-Bey, Kay Gabriel, and many others.
“Restored my faith in theater” - Ben Davis
“I felt the alienation effect exploding is so many ways!” - Ruth Wilson Gilmore
“There was somthing magical about this show!” - Jim Fletcher
“Not bad at all!” - Caveh Zahedi
