Civic Scores- An Invitation To Engage

By Michael Rohd

Director, Civic Scores

I wrote this in the Spring for American Theater Magazine:

In many spaces today, we struggle to be together. We don’t know how to talk or listen to each other, let alone work things out. Our democracy is faltering, not just because some leaders weaponize hate and mistrust, but also because most of us lack the skills to navigate difficult conversations and imagine new possibilities. Theatre, often described as an empathy gym, provides a space for building understanding—but maybe empathy isn’t enough. Perhaps we can offer more than scripts that reflect what we don’t know or haven’t felt. What if we provided scores to help us practice what comes after empathy—to transform it into action? Imagine artists creating Civic Scores, and theatres producing them, not just in traditional spaces but in the communities where democracy is failing us. Performing our imagination onstage is powerful, but what if we offered our communities the tools to exercise their own imaginations in the real world? What if public gatherings could become gymnasiums for civic imagination?

After it was published, Jacob Padrón reached out to me and said, “Why don’t we do it? Our Artistic Congress, which explores the intersection of theatre and democracy, could be the perfect place to explore Civic Scores." Jacob's team identified three New Haven artists whose work centers on collaboration, listening, and creative citizenship. Over several months, we engaged in deep conversations as each artist developed a unique approach to integrating creative practice into public dialogue. Through that process, they each crafted a Civic Score.

If you attend a Civic Score at this Congress—just a week before the culmination of an exhausting and anxious election season—you are not an audience member. You're not a spectator; you are here to participate. Your presence will help the artist, and everyone in the room, explore new ways to gather, connect, reflect, and imagine. Together, we’ll practice the skills that democracy requires to survive—and just maybe, to thrive.