SOCIETY OF CIVIL DISCOURSE

Calling All: Talkers, drunk debaters, sidewalk weather reporters, water cooler pundits, backseat philosophers, pseudo intellectuals, haters, hype-men, chatter boxes, gossips, and even the silent types

​Members of the Society of Civil Discourse are coming together in search of new members. All are welcome. Join us in hating on, loving, philosophizing about and debating, things that don’t matter. Show up on time for our induction ceremony. Discuss silly things with your fellow inductees, then watch and heckle the Great Debate. The Society of Civil Discourse is an interactive debate/bullshitting/appreciation event. It’s about style, not substance.

  • It happens in two phases.

    Prelude: Induction to The Society and Explanation of Philosophy

    Phase 1: Free Roaming Talking Stations
    Find a station and let your trained facilitator guide you into a debate, gripe session, appreciation, or story share. Listen to others. Have a drink.

    Phase 2: The Great Debate
    Professional Argument Teams engage in a 5 round debate over a secret topic. Watch, heckle, vote for the winners.   

    • Round 1: Opening Statements

    • Round 2: Personal testimony

    • Round 3: Mime

    • Round 4: Fake statistics

    • Round 5: Closing statements

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Responses to Society of Civil Discourse

“…touchingly optimistic about humanity, what we endure, what we survive, how we grieve, and how we care for each other.”
— Merylin Jackson, Inquirer
“It’s an awesome, poignant, hilarious dance-theatre elegy – there’s not much else like it.”
— Pig Iron Theatre Company (Obie Award-winning physical theatre company)
“…this piece is truly affecting and is one of the first “theater” pieces I have seen using “dance” logic for its structure so effectively…”
— Amy Smith (Co-Director of Bessie Award-winning dance-theatre company Headlong

Special Thanks and Support  

JapanAmerica Wonderwave was created at the fidgetspace. Versions of JapanAmerica Wonderwave have been shown at the Asian Arts Initiative and as part of the Commotion Festival. The finished version premiered at Christ Church Neighborhood House in May 2013.

This project was funded in part by many heroes donating to a Kickstarter fundraising campaign.

​Premier production was made possible in part by New Stages for Dance.  Leadership Support for the New Stages for Dance Initiative is provided by MetLife Foundation.  New Stages for Dance is a program of Dance/USA Philadelphia.

Additional support provided by the Wyncote Foundation as recommended by Leonard C. Haas .

Old Forge Brewing Company was the official beer partner of the JapanAmerica Wonderwave premier.​