SADA is the first Playback Theater troupe in Tripoli formed by 14 local actors coming from various neighborhoods and communities residing in the city. They aim to establish a safe platform where their communities can express their narratives, memories, fears, and aspirations before experiencing it coming alive on stage. Finding the Red Thread that connects community members together through sharing and comparing their stories is what SADA aims to do through establishing this space to promote openness, understanding and compassion. SADA is a troupe trained and empowered by Laban Organization through Wasl Troupe for Playback Theater. The establishment of Sada was part of the Tripoli Mechanisms for Social Stability (MSS) within the UNDP Lebanese Host Communities Support Programme – LHSP in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs – MOSA through the "Peacebuilding in Lebanon" project. The MSS aims at creating local level stability mechanisms in different localities across Lebanon. Our Story:
The socio-economic burden caused by the continuous conflicts between Jabal Mohsen, Bab el Tebbeneh and Qobbeh in the last 40 years in Tripoli resulted in increased tensions between the communities in these two areas. These neighborhoods have lived through several severe rounds of conflicts, which have left their marks on the different communities living in these areas. The socio-economic situation in these targeted neighborhoods continues to deteriorate in the absence of any post-conflict governmental plans especially on the developmental and social levels. Through using the art of playback acting as a tool for social change, we aspire to support building the foundations and contributing to the momentum of a proper communal reconciliation in the city that needs years of healing and interventions on multiple levels. Our Objective:
SADA will have an impact on the increased resilience and knowledge of different communities on conflict mitigation, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It will enable the targeted communities to challenge stereotypes and socially constructed images of others they are in conflict with. The troupe aims to increase awareness among the different sectarian communities as well as refugees residing in Tripoli of the underlying social and political conditions which have led to their hostilities; while equipping them with the necessary tools to advance peace and discuss ways to resolve these conflicts. Playback Theatre (PBT) is spontaneous improvised theatre formed through a unique collaboration between performers and audience. Someone tells a story from their life, chooses actors to play the different roles, and then watches their story immediately recreated and given artistic shape and coherence. The storytelling and acting of these stories encourages an indirect conversation between the audience to take place enabling them to know each other more and build bridges. A performing group usually consists of a conductor (the facilitator), actors and musicians. The whole performance is improvised - the actors, musicians and conductor have practiced together and they follow a simple structure; but the content of what might emerge during a performance is owned by an unexpected audience only if they are willing to unlock the past to draw together a better future.
