The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today

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? The second edition of 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 21st century.

This second edition includes: - A new foreword by Professor Caoimhe McAvinchey - An additional conversation in Part 3 with artist and activist Tony Cealy - A new Part 4, featuring creative encounters with groups of academics, artists, Indigenous activists and community multipliers from across the Amazonas region of Brazil - A new Part 5, featuring the Indigenous academic and Kuringa (Joker) Annie Martins, who vividly addresses the challenges all practitioners face as they seek to decolonise their work

Author Biography

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 Emeritus Professor of Applied Performance Practice at Queen Mary, University of London, UK, the leading Department for research across all UK Drama Departments and Conservatoires.