Performance: Expect the Unexpected

Since 2016, the Artivist Network has been innovating the use of storytelling as a tool for mobilizing people towards participation in mass direct action. Expect the Unexpected is  a vibrant 30 minute one-man show that takes your hand and brings you through a multi-media experience to Ende Gelende. The performance shares with its audience: the rush of a thousand people running into the dust of Europe’s largest lignite coal mine, and the fear of confronting charging police lines, the joys of finding lost comrades and the passion that motivates of those who lock their bodies onto railroad tracks. Expect the Unexpected uses its immersive format to directly engage the audience in horizontal affinity group decision making processes, allowing viewers to get a look “behind the scenes” of not only the action but also it’s organizing and action consensus. Despite the theatrics, this captivating performance is not just a show – it is an organizing tool that is being used across Europe and North America to engage new audiences into experiencing the collective transformation that can come from stepping outside of one’s comfort zones.Full performance: