ABSTRACT
From the social eros of the early days of gay liberation and the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) through the tactical frivolity of the global justice movement to the mariachi bands accompanying the immigrants’ rights rallies of recent years, the streets of cities around the world have been fi lled with countless theatrical expressions of protest. Some movement actors chime in with campy chants, such as ACT UP’s call and response, “Health care is a right, health care is a right . . . Pump up the budget!” to the tune of the rave anthem, “Pump up the Volume”; others improvise on variations of the deconstructive “Four Word Chant! Four Word Chant!” lampooning the usual sounds of protest; and still others adapt versions of childhood games such as the Hokey Pokey during recent antiwar marches, as in “You put the weapons in, you pull the weapons out.” Some are marching; others are playing, many doing both. The term play encompasses a variety of acts including drag, ACT UP zaps, the use of food in the Latino community, dance dramaturgy, culture jamming, the carnival, and other forms of creative community-building activities. It is the exhilarating feeling of pleasure, the joy of building a more emancipatory and caring world.
