The Big Idea: Guerrilla Theater
Alongside protests against raids and deportations, small actions of absurdist disruption can also prove to expose the raw violence of those in power.
J. Patrick Patterson
guer•ril•la the•ater
noun
1. pop-up performances in public spaces to surprise, disrupt or educate about political issues
What’s it look like?
Absurd, ridiculous fun. It’s Abbie Hoffman throwing dollar bills onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to watch the scramble in 1967. It’s the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army bouncing into “clownarchy” to protest the Iraq War in 2003, confusing authorities and inviting mockery of their repression. It’s the Portland Frog Brigade wearing inflatables outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility to protest raids and deportations. It’s creating irresistible images to cut through the spectacle of modern life.
Where’s it come from?
The practice grew up alongside the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War protests. Members of the experimental San Francisco Mime Troupe (who coined the term) drew inspiration from Che Guevara’s writing about collective struggle and the intent to replace unjust systems with something new. As the war in Vietnam escalated, the idea of small, nimble, disruptive actions carried a lot of symbolic weight. The troupe also drew inspiration from commedia dell’arte, a form of Italian Renaissance theater known for improv and pantomime.
The ridiculous nature is kind of the point. The idea behind guerrilla theater is to use surprise and humor to expose the hypocrisy and violence of those in power. As one Portland-based streamer told the Washington Post, “It just makes the violence really kind of clear, who’s doing it. Like, you’re trying to call the Insurrection Act on Barney the Dinosaur and SpongeBob?” The inflatable costumes are meant to challenge the narrative that the places invaded by ICE are scary and dangerous and, hence, in need of heavy policing.
Critics might claim the surprise performances are more spectacle than substance. That said, it’s just one tactic among many, not a replacement for sustained action. Guerrilla theater has never replaced other forms of organizing — but it remains a conspicuous, sometimes inflatable, way to challenge power.
This is part of “The Big Idea,” a series offering brief introductions to progressive theories, policies, tools and strategies that can help us envision a world beyond capitalism.
J. Patrick Patterson is the Associate Editor at In These Times. He has previously worked as a politics editor, copy editor, fact-checker and reporter. His writing on economic policies and electoral politics has been published in numerous outlets.
