User:Lukeisking

Theatre of the oppressed

The theatre of the oppressed was and is, a style of theatre pioneered by Augusto Boal that developed over several decades. In his book of the same name (copywrite augusto boal, published by pluto press 1974) Boal recounts that as part of a literacy drive caried out by the revolutionary peruvian government in 1973 the indiginous peoples of peru were taught literacy and the arts. Theatre was included in this. It became more and more apparent to Boal that this was a highly effective way to communicate the suffering of the people in a moving and affecting manner. This was particularly strong when in response to the question "where do you live?" a peasant took a photograph of a young boy whose nose had been partially eaten by rats. This was due to the squalid conditions he was forced to live in and the fact that a recent cull of dogs by the local government had meant that his dog was no longer around to drive them away. Boal said afterwards that this powerful statement through images in reponse to such a question served as the best way to communicate the people's suffering, showing truly, where they lived. It is unique in theatre in that it does not suggest solutions in the case of Bertolt Brecht, inciting the people to rise up despite Boal's left wing leanings. Although he has never claimed to be a communist Boal's agenda has always been based on the principles of revolution. However the theatre of the oppressed looks to the audience to provide the solutions. In an interview with jan cohen-cruz in the 1994 he recounted an experience of performing activist theatre to some guerillas in the north of brazil. When the piece, which had involved inciting the group to revolt had ended the troupe found themselves approached and asked to accompany the rebels in armed revolt to a local town. Ashamed, they told their audience that they were only actors to which the reply was that they would be given real guns, just as they had guns onstage. Boal recounted: "From that point on and never again, have I incited audiences to do things that I would not do myself. So the seed of forums was to give solutions, not to incite people, let them express their own solutions." (p.23 Playing Boal: theatre, therapy, activism. Ed. Mady Schutzman, Jan Cohen-Cruz. Routledge. London. 1994.) The audience is empowered, welcomed to come onstage and recommend soultions in the drama. This applied particularly to community theatre in which people seek practical solutions to their problems by suggestion, carrying out ideas and following them through to their logical conclusion. This means people in repressed situations can figure out logical solutions to their problems. Thus the spectators are transformed into spectactors, active parts of the drama. In order to encourage discussion a "joker" is also promiant in the art form, an independent figure who guides the audience through the situation, requesting contributions. In this sense Boal claims his theatre is the polar opposite of Greek theatre that depicts negative aspects of human life onstage, showing how society is not benefitted by them and by form of catharsis purges them from the audience. A huge part of this is raising awareness through invisible theatre in which relevent issues are explored dramatically by a protagonist and several supporting actors who help the drama along. The audience is unaware it is happening but are often prompted to take part themselves by the issues raised.