Augusto Boal by

Augusto Boal

saustin616 — 2023-11-02 17:08:48 UTC

(16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist.

He grew up in Brazil, studies drama at Columbia University in NYC and then returned to a Brazil in the middle of political upheaval.

He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movements. Boal served one term as a Vereador (the Brazilian equivalent of a city councillor) in Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1997. In the late 90's until his death in 2009, Boal developed the Center for the Theater of the Oppressed

saustin616 — 2023-11-02 17:13:49 UTC

Here are some members of the Institute for Theater of the oppressed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Government Censorship --> Newspaper Theater

saustin616 — 2023-11-02 17:21:55 UTC

In the late 1960s, inspired by Pedagogia do oprimido (1968; Pedagogy of the Oppressed) by revolutionary educator Paulo Freire, he began experimenting with a form of Living Newspaper theatre. His work was considered subversive by the military junta then ruling Brazil, and he was arrested in 1971 and tortured. He spent the next 15 years in exile.

ACTIVITY - Give out newspaper article to class. Create Newspaper Theater

Forum Theater Terms

saustin616 — 2023-11-02 17:29:45 UTC

Joker - The person leading the interactions between the audience and the actors. A sort-of narrator/facilitator.

Protagonist/Oppressed - The main character who is facing an oppression

Oppressor - The main oppressor

Potential Allies - additional actors who may be options for the oppressed to reach out to.

Spect-Actor - a participant in forum theater. Starts as audience, but is called on to help solve the protagonist's oppression

Forum Theater presents a traditional story arc until the point of a climax. Then the joker turns the play over to the spect-actors to help problem solve the oppression.

Rainbow of Desire

saustin616 — 2023-11-02 18:11:22 UTC

While in exile in France, Boal wrote the book Theater of the Oppressed. He also notices that in countries that didn't have blatant government-sanctioned oppressions, not all of his methods worked as well. He developed his second book and methodology, Rainbow of Desire. The Rainbow of Desire work involves a cop-in-the-head as the oppressor. What are some cops in our heads?

Sample Article:

saustin616 — 2025-01-31 17:25:29 UTC

NYC MTA - Safer than ever! Commuters are thrilled!