The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today: An Introduction to the Work and Principles of Augusto Boal

Description

How has the work and legacy of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed been interpreted and practised around the world? What does it look like in different working contexts? This book provides an accessible introduction to the political and artistic principles Boal's techniques are founded on, tracking exemplary practice from around the globe. Using detailed contemporary case histories, theatre artist, scholar and activist Ali Campbell demonstrates how the underlying principles of Boal's practice are today enacted in the work of - among others - an urban network (Theatre of the Oppressed NYC); a rural and developmental theatre organisation (Jana Sanskriti, West Bengal); Boal's original company CTO Rio (Brazil); and a theatre-based group led by learning-disabled adults in the UK (The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company). The book concludes with a series of conversations between Campbell and international exponents of the work, envisioning futures for the Theatre of the Oppressed in the shifting political, educational and artistic contexts of the twenty-first century.

Ali Campbell was trained and mentored by Boal and remains one of the key exponents of the Theatre of the Oppressed working today. He has adapted Boal's techniques of Forum and Image theatre across a broad range of groups and contexts in Europe and Africa. He is Reader in Applied Performance Practice at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. .

Distilled from a lifetime of practice, teaching and reflection with groups around the world, this brilliant book is a must read for Theatre for Change workers everywhere. -- Geraldine Ling MBE; Founding Artistic Director; The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company This book is a profound praxis for peace, precisely because it disturbs: it is a work of clarity, written with the honesty of a friend. Ali Campbell explores Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed with the urgent question: "How then shall we Live?" -- Professor Alison Phipps OBE; UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts; University of Glasgow