1st Edition

Theatre of the Oppressed in Actions An Audio-Visual Introduction to Boal’s Forum Theatre

Edited By Julian Boal, Kelly Howe, McElvany Scot Copyright 2015
    64 Pages
    by Routledge

    This exciting collection of archival film footage—some of it never before shared publicly—will be useful for Theatre of the Oppressed students, practitioners, and scholars of any level of familiarity or experience. Resources include: 

    • detailed footage of Augusto Boal and Julian Boal facilitating workshops at the International Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed (PTO) Conference
    • a film of Augusto Boal's final trip to the PTO Conference
    • footage excerpts of a variety of artists from around the world using Forum Theatre in their own local, urgent struggles 
    • a companion booklet of short essays and interviews that contextualize the dynamic activist projects featured on the DVD.

    Combining professionally-filmed video with amateur footage, this project aims to capture Theatre of the Oppressed as a system of techniques defined simultaneously by political continuity and practical flexibility.

    ‘This is an invaluable pedagogical tool for anyone interested in Theatre of the Oppressed. The lessons – about ethics, aesthetics, oppression, and hope – come across with fresh and inspiring impact.’ Mady Schutzman, California Institute of the Arts

    'Augusto Boal’s genius was not merely that of compiling and creating a set of theatre games and exercises, nor of developing theatre method and philosophy; the theatre of the oppressed proposes a radical approach to training, rehearsal, and performance whereby these modes are fused. This DVD is successful as an audio-visual account of exercises, a rare opportunity to see how these function in a workshop setting, and gives a sense of the role of the joker/facilitator; something that cannot be gained from books alone.' Joel Anderson, Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London