The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today - (Performance Books) by Ali Campbell (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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 practice in different contexts? This book provides an accessible introduction to the political and artistic principles Boal's techniques are founded upon and traces their legacy today through examples of exemplary practice from around the globe. Authored by one of the key exponents of the Theatre of the Oppressed working today who was mentored by Boal, the volume equips readers with a clear grounding in the universal, transferable principles of Boal's work, extrapolated from best practice across the field. Augusto Boal (1931-2009) was one of the most influential theatre directors of the 20th and early 21st centuries with his work and seminal manifesto for a Theatre of the Oppressed having a lasting impact on performance studies and the fields of education and community development. Using detailed contemporary case histories Ali Campbell demonstrates how the underlying principles of Boal's practice have been adapted in the work of some of the most influential applied performance groups operating internationally today. These highly accessible studies extrapolate Boal's core principles as they are enacted in the practices of 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 an envisioning of possible futures for the Theatre of the Oppressed movement in the shifting political, educational and artistic context of the new century, with the principles in practice as a guide"--

Book Synopsis

How has the legacy of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed been interpreted 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 around the globe. Authored by one of the key exponents of the Theatre of the Oppressed, the volume equips readers with a practical grounding in the universal, transferable principles of Boal's work.

Augusto Boal (1931-2009) was one of the most influential theatre directors of the 20th and early 21st centuries. His radical manifesto for the worldwide Theatre of the Oppressed movement has had an enduring and evolving impact on performance studies and the fields of education and community development.

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 practices of - among others - an urban network (Theatre of the Oppressed NYC); a rural and developmental theatre organization (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 context of the new century.

Review Quotes

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.

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?"

About the Author

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.

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