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Live Garra Theatre
PRESENTS "See Me as I see Me ~ See me as I am!" Playback Theatre, a re-creation of stories focused on themes such as bias and marginalization, aids in strengthening community ties. Playback Theatre story-sharing conversations is a collaborative approach that allows Storytellers to gain the unique opportunity to witness their experiences through fresh perspectives. Your Story Matters ... SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2026 |
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Playback Theatre: A Moment-to-Moment Experience
Playback Theatre invites the audience to tell a moment from their life, and then watch the improvised scenes of their stories on the spot.
Playback Theatre encourages story-sharing to find connections between stories, fostering meaningful dialogue with artistic shape and nuance.
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Playback Theatre invites the audience to tell a moment from their life, and then watch the improvised scenes of their stories on the spot.
Playback Theatre encourages story-sharing to find connections between stories, fostering meaningful dialogue with artistic shape and nuance.
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THE RHINOCEROS ARE COMING JUNE 15, 2026 The play follows a small town where residents gradually turn into rhinoceroses, leaving one person fighting to keep his humanity. It is seen as an allegory on autocracy, conformity, and individual integrity.
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Pierre Walters as Berenger
When Eugene Ionesco wrote Rhinoceros, in the 1950s, he was looking at how a community could metamorphosize into masses of rhinoceroses. He said of the ‘rhinoceritis' epidemic: “a new plague of modern times, a strange disease that thrives in different forms; automatic systematized thinking, the idolization of ideologies screens the mind from reality, perverts our understanding and makes us blind.”
Parental guidance is advised; adult and controversial themes may be discussed |
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MONTGOMERY MAGAZINE ON STAGE
LIVE GARRA MAKES THEATER WITH PERSISTENCE
BY LISA TRAIGER
MONTGOMERY MAGAZINE ON STAGE
LIVE GARRA MAKES THEATER WITH PERSISTENCE
BY LISA TRAIGER
"GARRA IS A PORTUGUESE WORD for the curved or hooked claw of a bird of prey or animal. And it’s an unexpected name for a theater company. But after spending some time with Silver Spring based actor, producer and educator Wanda Whiteside it becomes clear why she chose the name Live Garra Theatre, with its mission to 'illuminate all facets of a multicultural society and to preserve the unique legacy of the African American heritage.'” - L. Traiger
"The Window King"
A Brooklyn Village Songbook
A Brooklyn Village Songbook
Welcome to Live Garra Theatre!
OUR MISSION
Live Garra Theatre uplifts distinct voices in a multicultural society, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and provides space for artistic growth and storytelling. Its programs serve communities in the DMV area through arts, social engagement, and story preservation.
OUR VISION
"Garra" means perseverance. The song 'Follow the Drinking Gourd' used the Big Dipper to guide enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, supported by safe houses and determination. Harriet Tubman urged, “If you get tired, keep going; if you are scared, keep going… if you want to taste freedom, keep going.”
OUR CORE VALUES
Live Garra Theatre's core values focus on respect, dignity, and non-discrimination, reflecting the principle of treating others as you wish to be treated. The Company fosters compassion, healing, and strong social connections, while encouraging awareness and collaboration among its board, artists, staff, and audience. The Live Garra Theatre values free expression of ideas, welcoming and supporting all perspectives within the organization.
OUR QUINTESSENCE
Live Garra Theatre, located at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, is a studio and incubator for performers and artists. As a member of the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring, it brings together poets, playwrights, and artists for productions, readings, seminars, and workshops. The theatre seeks to enrich the community, support underserved groups, and advance social justice.
Why Our Lives Matter ...
Live Garra Theatre uplifts distinct voices in a multicultural society, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and provides space for artistic growth and storytelling. Its programs serve communities in the DMV area through arts, social engagement, and story preservation.
OUR VISION
"Garra" means perseverance. The song 'Follow the Drinking Gourd' used the Big Dipper to guide enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, supported by safe houses and determination. Harriet Tubman urged, “If you get tired, keep going; if you are scared, keep going… if you want to taste freedom, keep going.”
OUR CORE VALUES
Live Garra Theatre's core values focus on respect, dignity, and non-discrimination, reflecting the principle of treating others as you wish to be treated. The Company fosters compassion, healing, and strong social connections, while encouraging awareness and collaboration among its board, artists, staff, and audience. The Live Garra Theatre values free expression of ideas, welcoming and supporting all perspectives within the organization.
OUR QUINTESSENCE
Live Garra Theatre, located at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, is a studio and incubator for performers and artists. As a member of the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring, it brings together poets, playwrights, and artists for productions, readings, seminars, and workshops. The theatre seeks to enrich the community, support underserved groups, and advance social justice.
Why Our Lives Matter ...
Supported in part by
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About our Artistic Producer
Dr. Whiteside accepts ISI Fellow award
Dr. Whiteside has been conferred with the designation Fellow for Institute for Social Innovation at Fielding Graduate University. As a recipient of the prestigious Dianne Kipnes Social Innovation Award; she will advance her work as a researcher-practitioner, conducting an ongoing workshop series that incorporates Playback Theatre, a performance exercise that invites the audience to participate in the creation of improvised scenes focused on racial bias and issues of marginalization.
Dr. Whiteside trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, HB Actor's Studio and Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in New York. She has performed professionally at the Olney Theatre Center, the Arena Stage and the Round House Theatre. She served as a judge for the NAACP ACT-SO competitions and presenter at the University of Maryland Black Theatre Symposium on the state of Black Theatre in America. Dr. Whiteside had a 15-year tenure as a Director/Editor at Discovery Communications, Inc. She and her husband owned and operated the Bonifant Theatre Space in Silver Spring, MD, which served as the Zora Neale Hurston Stage for the DC Black Theatre Festival.
Wanda earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Howard University. She received a Master of Science in Business Management from Strayer University and holds a Master’s degree and Doctorate of Education in Leadership for Change, both from Fielding Graduate University. Wanda is currently a faculty member at Montgomery College as an Acting instructor. Dr. Whiteside received an Honorable Citation from the Maryland State House of Delegates for her work with the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., of which she is a founding member and advisory board member. Dr. Whiteside is a founding member and current ex-officio board member of the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring, Inc. She was awarded Montgomery’s Best Honoree Community Service award. Dr. Whiteside believes "Artistry is the insatiable desire to be free"-w.
“Respecting Race and Recognizing Racism through Playback Theatre"
