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    Augusto Boal & Theatre of The Oppressed

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    Sadie Andros
    Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director and writer who developed Theatre of the Oppressed, an interactive form of theatre used to promote social and political change. Boal believed theatre could transform society rather than just reflect it. He was exiled from Brazil in 1971 for his cultural activism but later returned and established the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed. There he continued developing techniques like forum theatre which allowed audiences to intervene in performances to offer alternative solutions to oppression. Boal passed away in 1999 having influenced theatre around the world with his vision of interactive performances empowering marginalized groups.

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    Augusto Boal & Theatre of The Oppressed

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    Sadie Andros
    601 views7 pages
    Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director and writer who developed Theatre of the Oppressed, an interactive form of theatre used to promote social and political change. Boal believed theatre could transform society rather than just reflect it. He was exiled from Brazil in 1971 for his cultural activism but later returned and established the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed. There he continued developing techniques like forum theatre which allowed audiences to intervene in performances to offer alternative solutions to oppression. Boal passed away in 1999 having influenced theatre around the world with his vision of interactive performances empowering marginalized groups.

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    Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director and writer who developed Theatre of the Oppressed, an interactive form of theatre used to promote social and political change. Boal believed theatre could transform society rather than just reflect it. He was exiled from Brazil in 1971 for his cultural activism but later returned and established the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed. There he continued developing techniques like forum theatre which allowed audiences to intervene in performances to offer alternative solutions to oppression. Boal passed away in 1999 having influenced theatre around the world with his vision of interactive performances empowering marginalized groups.

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    601 views7 pages

    Augusto Boal & Theatre of The Oppressed

    Uploaded by

    Sadie Andros
    Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director and writer who developed Theatre of the Oppressed, an interactive form of theatre used to promote social and political change. Boal believed theatre could transform society rather than just reflect it. He was exiled from Brazil in 1971 for his cultural activism but later returned and established the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed. There he continued developing techniques like forum theatre which allowed audiences to intervene in performances to offer alternative solutions to oppression. Boal passed away in 1999 having influenced theatre around the world with his vision of interactive performances empowering marginalized groups.

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    of 7

    Theatre of the Oppressed

    & Brazilian Theatremaker Augusto Boal


    “Theatre is a form of knowledge; it
    should and can also be a means of
    transforming society. Theatre can
    help us build our future, rather than
    just waiting for it.”
    - Augusto Boal
    Augusto Boal
     Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1931
     Studied chemical engineering at Columbia
    University
     Had his first experiences in theatre in NYC
    (Black Experimental Theatre)
     Moved to Brazil in 1956 to work at the
    Arena Theatre where he introduced
    Stanislavski’s system for actors
     He adapted this system and the plays
    Arena Theatre produced so that they
    suited the social conditions in Brazil
     In 1971, Boal was kidnapped, arrested,
    tortured, and exiled to Argentina because
    his work was viewed as cultural activism
     1974: Published Theatre of the Oppressed
    Augusto Boal’s Later Years
     After the demise of the military
    dictatorship, Boal returned to Brazil 14
    years after his exile and established
    the Center for the Theatre of the
    Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro where he
    continued his work.
     From 1993-1997 he served a term as
    vereador… it was during this time that
    he developed legislative theatre which
    gave voters the opportunity to voice
    their opinions by using the framework
    for forum theatre.
     He passed away in 1999 at the age of
    78.
    Theatre of the Oppressed
     A Brazilian theatrical form that first developed in
    the 1950s but was not adopted until the 1970s
    (namely under the leadership and philosophy
    Augusto Boal)
     Theatre used to promote social and political
    change in alignment with radical-left politics
     Interactive: the audience become “spect-actors”
     Difficultator/Joker: a facilitator who is responsible
    for the logistics of the performance but never
    comments or intervenes in the content
     A problem story—that involves oppression—must be
    solved by the spect-actors
     Boal believed that theatre is not revolutionary in
    itself but is rehearsal of revolution.
    Different Forms – The Major Four
    1. Image Theatre
     A performance when an actor behaving as a sculptor transforms one or more people
    into statues using only touch. The sculptor will be given a word such as “family” to
    create through the shape of the human form
    2. Forum Theatre
     Actors perform a scene (“scripted at its core”) that features an oppression relevant
    to the audience. After playing through the scene (which always ends with the
    actors failing to overcome the oppression). The scene is then replayed (sometimes
    a more condensed version) and the spect—actors can at any time yell “stop” and
    replace the oppressed actor to attempt a solution to the problem at play. If
    successful, the production will then play again with spect-actors participating as
    oppressors. Theoretically, the performance would become more and more realistic.
    3. Invisible Theatre
     Performed in a space you would not expect to see a play. Performers try to disguise
    the fact that this is a performance and encourage spect-actors to view it as a real
    event.
    4. Newspaper Theatre
     The transformation of daily articles into theatrical scenes
    “It is not the place of the theatre to
    show the correct path, but only to
    offer the means by which all
    possible paths may be examined.”
    -Augusto Boal

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