Papel Machete
A Blade of Grass Fellows for Socially Engaged Art
Papel Machete is a radical Puerto Rican theater collective that engages a range of art forms and storytelling techniques grounded in intersectional, working-class politics. Founded in 2006, Papel Machete has worked with a variety of theatrical forms including toy theater, shadow theatre, table-top puppetry, and giant puppets. The collective aims to use theatrical creativity to motivate their audiences to social action. Papel Machete was selected on the basis of their proposal to develop a bilingual multimedia performance, On the Eve of Abolition, set on the imaginary day of the last prison closing. Incorporating a range of source material and performance techniques, Papel Machete tackles one of the critical social justice issues of our time by presupposing the success of the Prison Abolition Movement from a place of collective decision making, reflection, and accountability.
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Papel Machete performing the cantastoria Solidaridad y Sobrevivencia para Nuestra Liberación at PAM (Proyecto Apoyo Mutuo Mariana) – Humacao. Photo courtesy of Jorge Díaz Ortiz.
