The Days of the Commune

Every weekend from March 3 through May 27 2012, we assembled in Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park) and other public spaces in New York City to work on The Days of the Commune, a play by Bert Brecht. Each scene in the play denotes one day. On this website, you can see a film of our version of the play, as well as images from the project as a gallery installation.

The Paris Commune was the first example in modern history of an occupation where working people took over their own neighborhoods and practiced direct democracy. Many different left groups worked together and women played an important part defining and demanding feminist principles that paved the way for our future. Times have changed, OWS faced pepper spray, the Communards were confronted with live ammunition but their belief in taking their future into their own hands, in standing up to the wealthy in leading by example instead of by force is as relevant today as it was then.