Friday, February 06, 2026
All the world’s enraged: a new era of ‘resistance theater’ is rising as Trump attacks the arts
US news | The Guardian: On a cool winter night in Los Angeles, dozens gathered to protest against the Trump administration’s attacks on the arts and the recent federal immigration raids in southern California. But these protesters didn’t carry signs or chant in front of a government building – they recited poems such as Antifa Tea Party and Love in Times of Fascism. They performed anti-fascist improv to a small but lively crowd at The Glendale Room, a library-themed theater, as part of the monthly show Unquiet: A Night of Creative Resistance.
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this article reminded me of a TikTok I saw a couple nights ago. I was scrolling looking through brain, rot and boring stuff like that, and I I encountered this video of a group of protesters sitting outside of a government building, dressed in masks to emulate Donald Trump and his confidance. they were sitting at a table with what appeared to be amputated legs, arms, and other body parts drinking from goblets of blood, and wiping their mouths with various flags of various countries that they were sitting around the table runner was the Israeli flag the comments spoke about how strange and unusual this form of protest was, but I continued looking at it, and it was called something like geurilla theater. art as protest is one of the coolest things to me because the first people attacked when fascism is on the rise is artists and teachers, and when teachers protest, they teach their students the truth but when artists protest it’s beautiful it’s art it’s unlike anything else I’ve seen out there and I hope I see more of this soon because I think it’s really awesome
Art is THE form of revolutionary protest. It always has been. Whether it's used for good or evil it's always at the forefront of cultural change. There are so many examples of the power of art. It's scary though that in the same way that art can be used for good. It could also be used to manipulate. There are many examples of those in power using art to control perspective. Namely the Nazis during world war 2 would use plays and change the meaning of them to fit their sick and twisted agendas. We see the Trump administration attempting to do something similar. With there being books written about Trump and other political figures. Mostly being children's books which for the party about "protecting children" is incredibly distrusting. That being said though the power of art is seriously unpredictable, and it's my hope that it continues to be used for good rather than evil.
I talk a lot about art being political and a means of protest and I stand by that. Theater has been a way of resistance since the beginning of theater. Reading about Azo Safo and how she had to censor herself for her and her family’s safety made me think about a lot of my friends who are currently having to censor themselves for their safety which is incredibly scary. Theater and art is something that should be able to be used as a protest and a way to shine a light on the current climate. They should be used as ways to show the strength, love, and stories of different communities. I am very proud to be a part of an industry and community that continues to fight back against oppression and violence with creativity and sticking with the community. Theater artists will continue to fight back against injustice and no matter how much the theater art is threatened, there will always be people to fight back and continue telling stories that need to be heard.
Art is political and the primary form of protest. This is why it is often attacked first when a power structure wants to maintain control. It is also why art is so important and why, despite it not being so profitable at times and artists having to scrape from the bottom of the barrel so often, it is so important that those artists do continue to push and create their art. It also speaks volumes that so many artists struggle and have to fight to create their art and it speaks to how power structures keep people down and silenced. Keep making art, keep fighting, it’s so important. I’m not surprised in the least and I’m happy to hear that “resistance theater” is on the rise, especially with the current times (Though I would argue that a majority of theater, if not all, is resistance theater). I think its so damn important that this is happening and it needs to continue to happen. I know well that when I get out there, a lot of theater that I will strive to work on will be theater that criticizes and speaks up against corrupted and harmful policies, people, societal aspects, governments, etc.
I think theater as an art form of resistance is something we can all get behind in these times of strife and fear. I like the segment of the article that talks about the history of resistance theater during times of social unrest and authoritarian government. This is an age-old tradition that we engage with, lending emotion and humanity to conceptual themes and topics such as fascism and the climate crisis. No matter how many articles and studies you read on the climate catastrophe, I still think Idina Menzel’s Wild: A Musical Becoming is a much more powerful tool in convincing a group of people of the dire position we are in as a species (the musical turned me vegetarian for a number of years). We need to ensure that live performances of resistance are able to continue on no matter what the political landscape or administration. If we let fascist and authoritarian groups destroy the arts then we will have very few recourses to engage them in debate. Our strength is in our communities and our collective action, so as long as we are able to keep meeting and keep sharing these artistically presented ideas our cause will live on.
Artists and educators, oh boy do they hate us. I’m sure this whole freedom of speech thing is quite inconvenient if you’re trying to control and isolate people on such a large scale. This should come as no surprise how theater of the oppressed is becoming so relevant, given well, everything right now. Uprising theater is definitely a company I’d like to look into after this. It is so vital to create art that sends a message, which I believe to be part of why I care so little for highly commercialized theater. I’ve grown up in an age where it’s become extremely obvious what theaters exist to make money and what theaters exist to tell a story, and I’ve picked my side. (Perhaps the side that will be broke forever… who knows.) Especially in such times of hardship, people need a community to rely on, stories to bear. The theater often becomes this community. Not exactly an act of escapism, but instead channeling anger and fear into something creative that other people can see, live and experience.
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