Theatre as a means of countering resurgent nationalism and racism in the 21st century: Seth Baumrin’s work in Europe

Abstract

The paper describes how two European theatre groups, Subpoetics and Gershom, led by an American director, Seth Baumrin, use artistic tools to bring about political and social change. Their creative projects are aimed at combating nationalism and racism, while building a more open and more humane society, based on the dignity and self-respect of the individual, which are considered a necessary precondition of respect for others. The article testifies to the transformative power of the workshops and performances that Baumrin and his associates offer the European public, and the author supports her observations with well-established theories from the area of theatre studies and psychology. As up until now no other academic papers have been published on the subject, a large share of the information included in this article comes from primary sources such as interviews, informal conversations and direct observation.