Locked In is an ongoing collaboration with healthcare professionals interested in fighting systemic racism and acknowledging housing as healthcare. Our original script - Locked In: A Theatrical Dialogue about Healthcare and Homelessness - is about systemic bias in healthcare against people who are unhoused. Our body of work now includes two scenes and a full length play that have been performed in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and at the national Theater of the Oppressed conference. Through these performances, we have deepened our capacity to use Locked In as a vehicle to facilitate meaningful conversations and relationship-building that catalyze social change in our health system.
We continue to deepen our collaborative work by growing our community of storytellers and modes of storytelling. We believe that such growth will expand the known narratives, the possible solutions imagined, and the communal power to bring about social change in our community.
Polarized Theater of the Oppressed with Dr. Chen Alon
Chen Alon, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, was raised in Tel Aviv. Chen served for four years in the Israeli army and then for 10 years as an operations officer in the reserves. He later co-founded Combatants for Peace after signing the “Courage to Refuse Letter,” a petition by soldiers and officers refusing to serve in the occupied territories. Chen is a theatre director, facilitator and lecturer at Tel Aviv University, using art and dialogue to promote peace.
This year, zAmya is hosting Theater of the Oppressed scholar Dr. Chen Alon in a six month virtual residency.
During that time, we will offer two main public activities:
- A film screening of a documentary about his work on Sunday, April 19th
- A three-day training in his particular brand of Theater of the Oppressed, May 8th-10th.
More info about these activities is below.
“There Is Another Way” film screening
Since its inception in Latin America in the 1970s, Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) has continually been adjusted to remain relevant as a tool for revolutionary social change. Israeli activist and scholar Chen Alon has worked with various groups to create what he terms a “Polarized” TO model. As an introduction to Chen and his body of work, in April we’ll be hosting a screening of the 2025 documentary “There Is Another Way” by filmmaker Stephen Apkon, about Combatants for Peace.
“There Is Another Way” tells the story of a group of visionaries who refuse to surrender to violence and injustice, and in doing so show that another path is possible - for them, for us, and for all humanity. Amidst the devastation and escalating violence of October 7th and the war in Gaza, can a bi-national group of former enemy combatants face their greatest challenges, when their belief in the possibility of peace are tested. Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Following the screening will be a Q&A with Stephen Apkon, Sulaiman Khatib and Chen Alon, who will be joining us via Zoom.
Key Details
Who’s invited: This event is open to the general public.
Where: Minneapolis Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall) on the second floor in Pohlad Hall at the top of the escalators
When: Sunday, April 19th from 12:30-2:30pm CST
Tickets & Registration: Tickets are free, and can be reserved through Eventbrite. Registration is encouraged but not required.
More information
Getting there:
Parking is located underground; Cost is approximately $6. The entrance is on 4th St. Handicapped spaces are available on each level near the elevators. The library is also easily accessed by public transportation.
Accessibility:
$10 gift cards will be made available for people bringing the lived experience of homelessness.
Pohlad Hall can accommodate up to four wheelchairs. If possible, please notify us in advance if you require one of these spots by messaging Esther Ouray, Company Manager at esther@zamyatheater.org
Age suitability:
The film is not rated and there is some violence, like the daily news. We recommend parental discretion.
Stephen Apkon (Director and Producer) is a filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and co-founder of Reconsider. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center, a non-profit film and education center located in Pleasantville, NY. He directed and produced the award-winning Disturbing the Peace. He is a Producer of I’m Carolyn Parker, directed by Jonathan Demme and Enlistment Days, directed by Ido Haar, and Co-Producer of Presenting Princess Shaw, also directed by Ido Haar. Apkon is an Executive Producer of Fantastic Fungi and Planetary. Mr. Apkon is the author of The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in April 2013 - foreword by Martin Scorsese.
Sulaiman al-Khatib was raised in the village of Hizme in northeast Jerusalem, and joined the “Fatah” movement when he was 12 years old. At the age of 14, he was arrested for attacking two Israelis and served 10 years in Israeli prison. Sulaiman is a Co-Founder and current Director of Combatants for Peace and uses his journey from violence to nonviolence to inspire change and foster understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.
Polarized Theater of the Oppressed Training
Over the course of three days in May, Chen will share principles and practices of TO, and guide participants through activities that build trust between two “polarized” groups that are sometimes positioned adversarially — healthcare workers and those experiencing homelessness. The residency will enable “housed” and “homeless” groups to see the other, deepening relationships amongst key stakeholders working towards greater housing security.
TO offers the creative tools to build these relationships while also activating an aesthetic space that enables collective analysis and “rehearsal” towards revolutionary change.
Key Details
Who’s invited: While everyone is welcome, the primary audiences for the training are people who have experience with housing instability, and health workers, including: care-givers and mutual-aid workers, and harm reduction specialists. Activists and artists are also encouraged to attend.
Where: Park Avenue Methodist Church, 3400 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
When: May 8-10, 2026
Friday May 8, 5:30-8:30pm (dinner provided)
Saturday May 9, 8:30am-4:00pm (coffee/pastries and lunch provided)
Sunday May 10, 1:00-4:00pm followed by a community dinner
Tickets and Registration: Pay-what-you-can; no one turned away for lack of funds. Only 50 seats are available, and registration is required.
More information
Getting there:
A church parking lot can be accessed from 34th Street; street parking is also available. Enter the church through the doors from the parking lot (west side of the building). There are several bus lines within a few blocks of the church; find more info at https://www.metrotransit.org/trip-planner.
Accessibility:
For any accessibility questions or needs, please contact Company Manager Esther Ouray at esther@zamyatheater.org.
People with lived experience of homelessness will receive one $20 gift card for each day of the training they attend.
Age suitability:
This training is best for participants ages 16+. Anyone age 13-15 may attend with an accompanying adult. For youth ages 12 and under, please contact Esther Ouray to discuss, at esther@zamyatheater.org.
Gratitude
These activities would not be possible without support from an Imagine Fund's Special Events Grant from the University of Minnesota.