He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movements. It seeks to be a “rehearsal for the revolution” for people who want to effect change in their own lives and those of their communities. is a form of popular community-based education that uses theater as a tool for social change. A. Notes about Theatre of the Oppressed and Forum Theatre. Watch an interview with Boal on Democracy Now. Boal believed that people can use theatre to challenge the oppression they face in everyday life. Through techniques such as Image Theatre, Invisible Theatre, Forum Theatre and techniques like Cop in the Head and Rainbow of Desire, participants learn to use theatre as a means to confront and challenge oppressive behaviour. Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal gives the theoretical underpinning to the method. Rainbow of Desire and Joker Training. This position is not neutral, however. A progressive course for practitioners, facilitators and those with a grounding in the fundamental techniques of the Theatre of the Oppressed. The Joker is with the spect-actors in support of their actions and exploration, while also stepping out to identify biases or problematize ideas that magically escape reality. The International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation has a directory of groups worldwide, a resource library, and more. Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) was established in the early 1970s by director/political activist Augusto Boal, for people engaged in the struggle for liberation – both against external/societal oppressors and inside their own minds. His book Games for Actors and Non-Actors gives instructions on the particulars. Contact Us to Apply. Sulu LeoNimm Program Director & Joker at Theatre of the Oppressed NYC New York, New York Performing Arts Theater of the Oppressed provides tools for people to explore collective struggles, analyze their history and present circumstances, and then experiment with inventing a new future together through theater. NEWSPAPER THEATRE – This system of 12 techniques represents the first attempt that was made to create the Theatre of the Oppressed, by giving the audience the means of production rather than the finished artistic product. The Joker System laid the theoretical foundation for the Theatre of the Oppressed, the umbrella term Boal employed for all his subsequent theoretical developments. The role of the Joker was both to animate Forum-Theatre and to be a method-passer, passing the TO method to other people, especially to non-actors from oppressed groups. On the artistic side, Theatre of the Oppressed was not considered as theatre either by theatre critics, academics – with the exception of a few such as Richard Monod who is a specialist of theatre and education – or cultural institutions. Boal begins with the principle that theatre, like language, can be appropriate to anybody so long as the methods are passed on to them. Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. Theatre of the Oppressed is a powerful tool for people who want to effect change in their own lives and in their communities. The Jokers also acted as a broker between practitioners and so-called spectators, breaking the boundary that normally separates them and transforming them into ‘Spect-ators’. (*) THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED Augusto Boal is the Brazilian dramatist who, during over forty years of work in different parts of the world, has developed the techniques of Theatre of the Oppressed. Augusto Boal (1931-2009) is internationally known as a Writer, Director and Teacher. The system incorporated both dramaturgy and staging techniques, bringing together all the experiments and discoveries Boal had previously made. What is Theatre of the Oppressed? The Joker’s agenda is the goal of TO: concrete, ethical action against oppression and toward the realization of human rights. Even in the Forum Theatre, his most popular theatrical format, the lineaments of the Joker system are apparent. Boal served one term as a Vereador in Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1997, where he developed legislative theatre. As created by Brazilian theatre visionary and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Augusto Boal (1931-2009), Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O.) Theatre of the Oppressed, the umbrella term Boal employed for all his subsequent theoretical developments. 2 to 9 November 2019. From spectator to protagonist.