Theatre presents itself as a powerful and inexpensive platform for any social entrepreneur with an interest in social change through the arts. Theatre of the Oppressed (and its different branches: forum theatre, invisible theatre, legislative theatre, etc) has played roles as varied as education and peace and conflict resolution within a number of institutions from theatre companies to community run organizations and non-governmental organizations.
Brazilian dramatist Augusto Boal developed Theatre of the Oppressed, a dramaturgic method that transforms the ordinary person into both a theatrical performer and an agent of change (an actor). In this environment, spectators can become the actors and stakeholders, collectively exploring decisions to social questions that their communities face.
Theatre of the Oppressed is a marketing tool: Public participation and recognition is the ultimate goal of any effort undertaken by a social entrepreneur and T.O. is an inexpensive, efficient, and effective way of keeping the public abreast on your efforts. By making it interactive, people will be more likely to differentiate between your efforts from others that rely solely on traditional forms of marketing. Furthermore, a T.O. project can be done at no cost at all; costs, in many cases, are optional and based solely on the needs, goals, and resources available to you and your project.
Read More:
GTO Maputo An article about an HIV/AIDS campaign by “Grupo do Teatro dos Oprimidos” from Maputo, Mozambique.
Amani People’s Theatre A Kenyan organization that engages in peace and conflict resolution work and provides creative solutions for like-minded organizations based on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques.
Games for Actors and Non-Actors Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and examples of its application written by Augusto Boal.
Theater of the Oppressed Augusto Boal explains the philosophy behind Theater of the Oppressed.
