Character Sheets
What is re-enactment?[edit | edit source]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_reenactment
Characters[edit | edit source]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_sheet
free downloadable ones
SO Characters required:
Police / Security Guard Activist Redneck Forestery worker Reindeer Herder PR person
OTHER possible civil v state actions that have been re-enacted[edit | edit source]
http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Brighton_201964_20Re-enactment_20society#1187951030
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Beanfield (and some related links
http://www.cultureshop.org/details.php?code=OPSOL http://web.archive.org/web/20091217120027/http://thecommune.wordpress.com:80/2009/10/14/the-british-direct-action-movement-of-the-1990s-part-i/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Orgreave
& its re-enactment http://web.archive.org/web/20151102043249/http://www.artangel.org.uk:80/projects/2001/the_battle_of_orgreave
Theatre of the Oppressed[edit | edit source]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Oppressed
(several kinds, but in brief there is an oppressive situation that is acted out. then acted out again, and when repeated then the audience can pause the play and step into the rôle of any character and try different scenarious tpo change the oppresion etc.)
- Roolipeli
http://luontoliitto.fi/metsa/vanha/metsaopetus/12roolipeli.htm
MIKKO ja Päivin palveri suunantaina
Yesterday I met Päivi Mattila from Luonto-Liitto. We went through the workshop schedule in 15th of May and agreed that the info we sent to exhibition invitation was ok. Luonto-Liitto will mention our workshop in their poster and a info text they're are going to send to Werstas. Päivi will send me the finished version of the text before sending it so that there will be no mix-ups with dates etc.
Some notes: Päivi asked if it would be possible to start a session at 20.30 after the last film. This session would focus on the ides and questions raised by the films. Päivi was also a bit sceptical about the café space in case that there will be more than 20 people. Is it too small?
idea: We could give film screening audience paper for notes. Then we could collect these notes after the screening. This way we could ensure that we get something concrete and that audience remembers the workshop.
Othervise the idea of the world café method sounded very good and the use of word picnic felt like a good idea.
We also discussed about the possibility to organize another workshop between Luonto-Liitto and us. The possible dates for that could be:12th,17,th or 18th of May. The place could be somewhere in the center.
Päivi is also familiar with the appropedia now and knows where to find info about the project.
Other stuff: I learned that Luonto-Liitto organizes sort of role playing session for solving forest conflicts! This is very close to the idea we had of using the theatre of oppressed method in Second Life. If someone isn't familiar with the theatre of oppressed method it's basically a use of drama to deal with difficult social conflicts. I think this is very good news since we could organize a second life session with Luonto-Liitto members during summer?
Päivi also knows a person who is familiar with a conflict that is possibly escalating in north on the borders of Norway,Finland and Russia.
Forest 2.O - a re-enactment in second life[edit | edit source]
Forest 2.0
This is a play (written by Markus Petz) based on the re-enactment tradition to try and recreate a re-enactment in second life. The scenario here is fictitious, but based upon real events:
CHARACTERS:
Policeman Activist Forest Worker Owner
Act 1
LOCATION (local council meeting place; e.g. Dingley Dell Village Hall)
It is announced by the owner that they are going to fell an old growth woodland in their possession and to sell the timber on the open market. It is rumored that the timber is to be bought by an international wood pulp company. The company is not named, but is believed to be Finnish owned.
There is held a public meeting in the local council where this will be presented:
Present are: Owner, Activist Not present are: Forest Worker, Policeman (it is possible for these actors to play councilors, but this is not essential – the half conversation technique can be used here).
Allowed to speak – councilors, anyone the councilors address and permit to speak. Allowed to shout out comments if emotional – anyone.
Act ends with the council having no objections, and saying as far as they are aware they will take no further action.
Councilors should always be addressed as "Councilor ….."
Act 2
LOCATION (grove in the old growth forest; e.g. Mustakorpi)
The activist has occupied a large tree that needs to be felled for site clearance to begin. Until the tree is cut down the Timberjack, harvesting machine cannot gain entrance to the forest without damaging the main road as the junction is there. Cutting the tree down while the activist is in the tree house would put them at risk:
The police have been called and people are beginning to take an interest in the case:
Present are Activist and Forest-worker Later on also: Policeman and Owner
Dynamic is led by the interaction between the forest-worker and the activist. Other characters can be called as needed by the Activist OR the forest-worker.
Act ends with an arrest being made and work stopping for the day. It will not resume until after the court case.
Act 3
LOCATION (local court; e.g. Riverforest Town Courthouse)
There is a court hearing in which the activist has been arraigned. Witnesses will be called and the activist has counter sued, claiming that the order to cut down the trees is illegal due to the forest containing protected species.
The public can act as a jury: The public can act as a theatre of the oppressed – stepping into different roles. Its possible to have a series of questions asked (by the defendants and prosecution – activist and also forest owner).
Present are: All cast
Act ends when the jury make a judgment (to stop this going on for ever the Activist and Owner must agree they have no further evidence to present).
CHARACTER SHEETS:
Policeman
You are a police constable that has lived in the area for the last 5 years. You did have a police education and though it was a few years ago you have not been motivated to take your sergeant's exams as you earn enough and don't need the extra burden of bureaucracy. You are aged 30.
You just want an easy life, most of your policing duties are crowd control and dealing with drinking on a Saturday night. You are not a specialist wildlife officer, though you have dealt with poaching and supported the FarmWatch Group (which looks out for crimes committed on landowners' property; such as stealing farm machines; produce, like Christmas trees or illegal hunting). The owner is a member of this group (and thus is trusted by you as pillar of the community).
The activist is known to you from holding an animal rights stall in the high street at the weekend. (Activist has always been polite and well spoken., but is a potential risk for criminal damage) The forest-worker is NOT known to you, but in your estimation fits the profile of a blue collar worker that you might pick up for fighting on a Saturday (so in your opinion they therefore could be violent and not well educated).
Activist
You are an activist with a focus on environmentalism, but sympathy with many causes. You have lived in the area for the last 3 years, moving here after you graduated with an honors degree from Bristol University (where the BBC wildlife film unit is based). You are aged 24.
You are frustrated in not having a place in society and that bad/stupid people seem to be controlling everything. You want to save the whale, save the moth and now you hear that the local wood is threatened in your village – ACTION must be taken! The owner is known to you by reputation (as an animal abuser – he has some sheep on his land), although you do not have any particular grudge against the owner any more than any other local controller of land.
You do not look through a Marxist perspective at the things; as you are too young to have shaped your politics in that way. Instead you look at man abusing nature as the dynamic. You know the policeman as you have seen them in the high street, and on a Saturday night when out drinking. You have never had any problems with them, though as an activist you are suspicious about them, because of stories you have heard in other circumstances. You grew up in a city, but like the countryside. You know the forest-worker to see, but have never spoken to them.
Forest Worker
You work for a local company Metsän-Palvelu (which provides forestry services to local land managers/owners). You did not go to university although you did do a basic 2 year course (Higher National Diploma) at the local agricultural college, before getting a job in a local company, which has grown since you started there nigh on 20years ago. You are aged 49.
You are an experienced forester and also manage several other workers. You were born in the village and have seen it change over the years; it has lost its post office, village school and most of the agricultural workers. The forest owner is known to you – you went to school with him. He is giving you work, to your firm and you believe he is influential with the local FarmWatch Group (which looks out for crimes committed by townies); which may lead to further work.
You do not know the policeman personally, although he is known to you from friends that have been warned about speeding or having bulbs-lights not work on their cars. You look favorably on the police. You know the activist as a new person in the village, they seem to use lots of big words and don't know how things are done in the community. You believe their heart is in the right place, but they are misguided in how things should be done. You don't think too much about this, and so your thoughts would be muddled – but you don't dwell on it – life is busy and there are trees to be cut, mouths to be fed and a job to be done. You call a spade a spade. You are married.
Owner
You are aged 49. You own your own land, after your father died from over work. You have his work ethic and want to pass on a profitable business to your son. Unlike many of your contemporaries you did not go to agricultural college; although you have done some short course in FolkHigh Schools, so you have had some forestry and land management education. You mostly learnt by apprenticeship on the job. One of your business contacts has offered you a good price for wood – you by chance own a wood that has not been profitable – in fact it has been "wasteland", as quite stony and never managed as a forest plantation. You see an opportunity to realize profits from it, clear it and possibly build some houses on it.
The wood is near the village and the villagers have been accustomed to walk in it (in fact it was an ancient commoners' right that is still the custom in the community). This has not been a problem for you (you do not have a get off my land – well not if its local people and you know who they are - attitude), but it is your wood, and your land and you can do as you please with it.
You know the policeman from the FarmWatch group (which looks out for crimes committed by townies and organized criminal gangs – though you view it more as a vigilante service where the police are not). You went to school with the forest-worker, and would like to give his family some work – times have been difficult for agricultural communities recently. You do not know the activist personally, but you have seen the Animal Rights Stall in the high street, and might recognize them – but you can't be sure. You haven't any time for these animal rights people, they don't know how to run an agribusiness and are lazy good-for-nothings that are on benefits.
Councilors
You are elected members of the local community. Your duty is to protect the community and advance its needs. You are a lower level of government so cannot decide anything, only make recommendations.
Jury
You will deliberate amongst yourselves and must decide the merits of any case.
PROPS:
Policeman – Police helmet, notebook, pen, mobile phone / police radio Activist – mobile phone, Environmentalist T-shirt / sweat shirt / hoodie Forest Worker – hard hat, luminous vest, chain saw, mobile phone Owner – shot gun, mobile phone, tweed jacket / country wear coat
OTHER USEFUL PROPS: Forest Development plan, Cutting Schedule, Banner, handcuffs, Paper-company leaflet, activist literature.
Real Life & Second Life
This play can be acted in Real Life with tables and appropriate banners for the locations. It requires a minimalist set. In second life awareness of the audience is crucial. So that they are aware, this can be done with a virtual stage (a revolving stage is possible in both real life and second life). Or actual locations. Scripting should pre-arrange some phrases to be said to make a story.
Acting times vary but 15-20mins per act, with 5 min intervals is good. If it's a longer event longer intervals with discussion time can be built in. In an actual re-enactment there is a lot of time for the audience to talk with a re-enactor and ask them questions. The same applies here, the better an re-enactor knows what their character would really do and be able to do the more they can say. As with re-enacting more experienced people can be asked to fill in missing information and answer questions from the audience, if you are not sure about your own character's response to a given question.
