Through small group discussions, dramatic scripted readings, group movement, poetry, and other writing, the workshop participants consider where our water comes from and goes to-globally and locally-the issues we confront protecting our water; how different cultures define the common good; the legacy effects of mining and burning coal on water and the challenges of transitioning justly away from burning coal in our community; and how they see themselves protecting water for the future.

Discussions will be facilitated by Latrelle Bright, a theatre artist and facilitator of arts-based civic dialogue. She served as Program Coordinator for the social issues theatre program at the University of Illinois for five years where each semester she would guide the creation of new work with students about issues ranging from suicide to food deserts, sex positivity to labor and class. All of the productions integrated dialogue into the process of creating the work and responding to the work post-performance. Her most recent work has been with Planners Network’s Franz Fanon workshop and the YWCA’s screening of the film, The Whole Gritty City. Past experiences include the City-wide Common Ground: Dialogues on Race in Memphis, the Heifer Theatre Project with Heifer International in Little Rock and numerous theatre post-performance dialogues.

For more information, please contact Carol Hays at chays@prairierivers.org or (217) 344-2371.

“Our Water and The Common Good Workshop” is funded, in part, by an Illinois Humanities Community Grant as part of its Illinois Speaks program. To see other upcoming Illinois Speaks events, visit our events page. Apply here for an Illinois Speaks Community Grant. Learn more about our Community Grants program.