Participatory Theater and Somatics as Tools for Connection and Social Change

The InterPlay Podcast

Friend & collaborator Agnotti Cowie joins host Tere Zorich to talk about the transformative qualities of participatory theater & clowning, body wise somatic practices, how they found the space they needed to process their grief through dance when attending InterPlay’s Art & Social Change program, and their role as an artist in creating social change.

Agnotti grew up in Chicago and is passionate about the intersection of social justice, community dialogue, and performing arts. They facilitate workshops employing a variety of pedagogical techniques such as InterPlay, Theatre of the Oppressed, Clowning and Devising. Since 2013, Agnotti has been hired by InterPlay to produce and facilitate events around the world as well as becoming their Development Director in 2020. They attended InterPlay’s first ever Art & Social Change program in 2010 & has been a steward for the program since 2015. After several years of working as a performer they stepped into the role of Co-Director in 2021 for Opera-Matic which is a neighborhood-based public art organization that creates free, multidisciplinary, highly-participatory arts events. They wear many hats and sometimes try to juggle them!

SHOW NOTES

Art & Social Change 2024 event details: https://www.interplay.org/index.cfm/go/events:event/happening_id/3161/

Connect with Agnotti Agnotti.com

Link with Opera-matic https://opera-matic.org/

Check out “Proto-call: Clowns under Lockdown” https://youtu.be/utX4NDlOLNk?si=8qbWzC0rIxZbJ0fq

AirGo podcast episode in conversation with Prentis Hemphill: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3uqiw1JIpa4DfeW1Nn91An

Subscribe to The InterPlay Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-interplay-podcast/id1734844936

Our theme song is “Echo Lady Who” by Eric Chappelle. Find more of his music on Bandcamp and Youtube.