Download Remember Augusto Boal

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Remember Augusto Boal
Boal presenting a workshop on the Theatre of the Oppressed
at the Riverside Church in New York, 13 May 2008.
Born 16 March 1931, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died 2 May 2009 (aged 78), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Occupation Theatre practitioner
Genres
Theatre of the Oppressed
Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 - 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was
the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical 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, where he developed legislative theatre.
Early life
Boal was born in Rio de Janeiro as the son of José Augustino Mario Charles Boal (a Portuguese baker) and
Albertina Chantele Pinto (a housewife). As an undergraduate, Boal got a degree in Chemical Engineering at
the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ (then known as Urca). He took an interest in theatre at an
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early age, preparing skits for family members along with his three brothers, but he did not become involved
in the theatre scene until after completing his masters degree. After graduating from the UFRJ, Boal went to
New York in 1952, where he studied at the School of Dramatic Arts at Columbia University while also
pursuing his masters degree in Chemical Engineering. Among Boal's theatre professors was John Gassner,
who had also taught Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Gassner introduced Boal to the techniques of
both Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski, and encouraged Boal to form links with theatre groups like
the Black Experimental Theatre. In 1955 Boal staged productions of two of his own plays The Horse and the
Saint and The House Across the Street. In 1956, shortly after graduating, Boal was asked to work with the
Arena Theatre in São Paulo, southeast Brazil. Boal was in charge of directing plays along with other
dramaturgs such as José Renato, who was also the founder of the Areana Theatre. It was here that he began
to experiment with new forms of theatre never before seen in Brazil, such as Stanislavski's 'system' for
actors, with which he became familiar during his time at Columbia and when involved with the Actors
Studio in New York. Boal adapted these methods to social conditions in Brazil, taking a leftist approach on
issues concerning nationalism, which were very much in vogue at that time period since the country had just
undergone a long period of military dictatorship. (This period was a bit like a Nazi one).
Work at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo
While working at the Arena Theatre in São Paulo, Boal directed a number of classical dramas, which he
transformed to make them more pertinent to Brazilian society and its economy. Among these plays was John
Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, known in Brazil as Ratos e Homens. This was Boal's first performance as a
director at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo. Critics acclaimed this piece and Boal won the Prêmio de
Revelação de Direção (Direction Revelation Award) from the Association of Art Critics of São Paulo, in
1956. In the early sixties, the ratings at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo started to drop, almost causing the
theatre to go bankrupt. Consequently, the company decided to start investing in national theatre (pieces
written by Brazilian dramaturgs) as a move that could possibly save it from bankruptcy. The new investment
proved to be a success, opening up the path for a national theatre scene. Boal then suggested the creation of
a Seminar in Dramaturgy at the Arena Theatre, which was quickly implemented and soon became a national
platform for many young playwrights. Many successful productions were born from this Seminar and now
form part of the Arena Theatre of São Paulo's nationalist phase repertoire. One of these productions was
Chapetuba Futebol Clube, written by Oduvaldo Vianna Filho in 1959 and directed by Augusto Boal.
Exile
A new military regime started in Brazil in 1964 with a coup d'état supported by the Brazilian elite, the
church and the middle class, as well as by the United States (in fear of communism). Boal’s teachings were
controversial, and as a cultural activist he was seen as a threat by the Brazilian military regime. In 1971,
Boal was kidnapped off the street, arrested, tortured, and eventually exiled to Argentina, where he stayed for
five years. During those five years, Boal published two books: Torquemada (1971) and his much acclaimed
Theatre of the Oppressed (1973). Torquemada is about the systematic use of torture in prison. Boal takes the
name of the leading figure of the Spanish Inquisition, Tomas de Torquemada as an example of historical
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forms of systematic torture. In Theatre of the Oppressed Boal develops a theatrical method based on
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a book by the Brazilian educator and writer Paulo Freire (who was also a good
friend of Boal).
Boal's method (which has been implemented in various communities around the world) seeks to transform
audiences into active participants in the theatrical experience. Boal argues that traditional theatre is
oppressive since spectators usually do not get a chance to express themselves, and that a collaboration
between both parties, in contrast allows spectators to perform actions that are socially liberating. The
method, as Boal liked to explain, seeks to transform spectators into "spect-actors." When the political
climate in Brazil forced Boal into exile in 1971, he initially went to Peru and then Argentina, where he
completed and published his seminal theoretical work The Theatre of the Oppressed and consolidated his
conscientizaacao (consciousness-raising) theatre work based on the idea of Brazilian educationalist Paulo
Friere. Friere's methods were a revolt against the elitist "top-down" approach to education and he advocated
critical awareness based education models. Boal's work in Peru with the ALFIN project, a movement which
sought to use a range of languages including "artistic languages" to eradicate illiteracy, developed his ideas
and methodology away from the agit-prop of his Brazilian Arena Theatre days and sought to engage theatre
as a pedagogical tool. Crucial to this time was Boal's attempts to break down the divisions between spectator
and actor. It is around this time that invented the term "spect-actor", a term that he saw as establishing the
frameworks within which he wished to work. He saw that the passivity of the spectator could be broken
down by the following steps by which the spectator becomes the spect-actor: 1) Knowing the body (by body
he means both the individual "body" and the collective "body" in a Marxist sense) 2) Making the body
expressive 3) Using theatre as a language 4) Using theatre as discourse
After living in Argentina, Boal travelled to other countries in South America such as Peru and Ecuador,
where he worked with people in small and usually poor communities that dealt with conflicts such as civil
wars and lack of government attention. Boal was of the opinion that only the oppressed are able to free the
oppressed. In Peru, Boal practised his Forum theatre method, in which spectator replaces actor to determine
the solution to a given problem presented by the actor, which can also be a real problem someone in the
community is facing. Boal also lived in Paris, France, for a number of years, where he created several
Centers for the Theatre of the Oppressed, directed plays, and also taught classes at the Sorbonne University.
Boal created the first International Festival for the Theatre of Oppressed in 1981.
While Boal was in exile, his very close friend and Brazilian musician Chico Buarque wrote him a letter that
would later result in the Chorinho hit called "Meu Caro Amigo" or "My Dear Friend" (1976). In this song,
Buarque tells his friend about the situation in Brazil at the time, addressing the military dictatorship in a very
subtle but clever way (due to censorship issues, many artists could not express themselves freely). The
melody of the song is very happy and upbeat while the lyrics explain:
My dear friend, please forgive me, if I can’t pay you a visit, but since I found someone to carry a message,
I’m sending you news on this tape. Here we play football, there’s lots of samba, lots of choro and
rock’n'roll. Some days it rains, some days it’s sunny but I want to tell you that things here are pretty dark.
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Here, we’re wheeling and dealing for survival, and we’re only surviving because we’re stubborn. And
everyone’s drinking because without cachaça, nobody survives this squeeze.
Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed-CTO-Brazil
After the fall of the military dictatorship, Boal returned to Brazil after 15 years of exile in 1986. He
established a major Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro (CTO), (www.cto.org.br)
whose objective was to study, discuss and express issues concerning citizenship, culture and various forms
of oppression using theatrical language. Boal's work in the CTO made way for the approval of a new law
that protects crime victims and witnesses in Brazil. Boal's group, (Team CTO: Coordination: Helen
Sarapeck/ Jokers: Geo Britto, Olivar Bendelak, Claudete Felix, Flávio Sanctum, Monique Rodrigues e
Alessandro Conceição. International Joker Barbara Santos e Claúdia Simone. Joker Regional: Claudio
Rocha, Kelly di Bertolli e Yara Toscano. Joker Assistants; Janna Salamandra. Image Consulting: Cachalotte
Matos. Financial Management: Graça Silva Legal Advice: Victor Gabriel) has worked next to numerous
organizations that fight for human rights. In 1992, Boal ran for city councillor in Rio de Janeiro as a
theatrical act, and he was elected. Boal's support staff was his theatre group, with whom he quickly
developed various legislative proposals. His objective was to work out issues citizens might be facing in
their communities through theatre, and also to discuss the laws of the city of Rio with people on the streets.
After having worked to transform spectator into author in Theatre of the Oppressed, Boal initiates the
Legislative theatre movement process, in which voter becomes legislator. Boal is known to say that he did
not create laws arbitrarily while he was city councillor. Instead, he asked people what they wanted. Other
politicians were not very fond of this. Out of 40 of Boal's proposed laws, only 13 got approved during his
term as councillor of Rio de Janeiro. His term ended in 1996, but he continued performing legislative theatre
acts with different groups in Brasília, whfourre 4 more laws got approved even after Boal had left. Boal also
worked with prisoners in Rio and São Paulo. Boal argued that people in prison are not free in space, but that
they are in time, and that the Theatre of the Oppressed strives to create different types of freedom so that
people are able to imagine and think about the past, the present, and invent the future instead of having to
wait for it. All this was in order for prisoners to have "a healthier and more creative lifestyle." People in the
Movimento sem Terra or Landless Workers Movement of Brazil also experienced working with Boal's
theatre methods. Boal's son Julián worked along with his father and now continues to take the Theatre of the
Oppressed to various communities in Brazil and around the world. In 2008, Augusto Boal was nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize, and in March 2009, he received the title of "World Theatre Ambassador" from
UNESCO.
Death
Augusto Boal died on 2 May 2009 at the age of 78 in Rio de Janeiro. He died of respiratory failure after a
long battle against leukemia. Critic Yan Michalski argues that Augusto Boal is the best-known and most
respected Brazilian theatre practitioner abroad.
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Influences
Augusto Boal presenting his workshop on the Theatre of the
Oppressed. Riverside Church, May 13, 2008.
Most of Augusto Boal’s techniques were created after he realized the limitations of didactic, politically
motivated theatre in the poor areas where he worked. He found that his attempts to inspire the people living
in poor or "slum" areas to rise up against racial and class inequality were inhibited by his own racial and
class background, since he was white and comparatively financially comfortable. His new techniques
allowed the idea of rebellion and the impetus for change to come from within the target group. Much of his
early work and teaching was inspired by Marxist philosophy, although through his career he had not been
restricted by this and much of his work now falls within the boundaries of a centre left ideology.
Paulo Freire was a major influence on Boal’s teachings. He and Freire became close in later years. When
Freire died, Boal said: "I am very sad. I have lost my last father. Now all I have are brothers and sisters".
Boal is also known to quote William Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which Hamlet argues that theatre is like a
mirror that reflects our virtues and defects equally. Although Boal finds this quote beautiful, he likes to think
of theatre as a mirror in which one can reach in to change reality and to transform it.
Published works
Theatre of the Oppressed (London: Pluto Press, 1979)
Arguably Augusto Boal's most academically influential work is the Theatre of the Oppressed, in which the
reader follows Boal’s detailed analysis of the Poetics of Aristotle and the early history of Western theatre.
Boal contends that the Aristotelian ethic means oppressing the masses, the people, the workers and the
spectators in favour of stability and the continued dominance of a privileged few. He argues that the Tragidrama, a formulaic drama style that today could be considered similar to that of soap operas, helps the State
promote its continued existence. He sees the Brazilian government as an example of an oppressive state
using theatre to propagate its oppressive system. He then outlines his early theories and practices for
attempting to reverse the paradigm. It also talks about Newspaper Theatre, attempting to talk about local
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problems and present it to the audiences, Forum Theatre, currently used in over 70 countries, Invisible
Theatre, used to discuss political activity and Image Theatre. Theatre of the Oppressed has been translated to
more than 25 languages over the years. Boal also talks about Invisible theatre in which an event is planned
and scripted but does not allow the spectators to know that the event is happening. Actors perform out of the
ordinary roles which invite spectators to join in or sit back and watch. One example was in a restaurant at the
Chiclayo hotel, actors sat at separate tables and informed the waiters in loud voices that they could not eat
the food. The actor stated that the food was not good. The waiter says the diner could pick something else to
eat. So the actor chose a rather expensive item off the menu and says he will be able to pay for it. The actor
mentions he has no money and he would be willing to work for it. This display made other diners start
discussing the price and treatment of workers at this hotel. This act allowed spectators to think about issues
that were going on but were brushed over because the issue did not directly involve them. Analytical theatre
is when a participant tells a story and the actors improvise it. Each character is broken down into all the
social roles they could follow and the participants choose an object to symbolize the role. This aspect of
theatre allows the participants to see how there are multiple roles a person could follow.
Games For Actors and Non-Actors (London: Routledge, 1992; Second Edition 2002)
This is probably Augusto Boal's most practically influential book, in which he sets down a brief explanation
of his theories, mostly through stories and examples of his work in Europe, and then explains every drama
exercise that he has found useful in his practice. In contrast to Theatre of the Oppressed, it contains little
academic theory and many practical examples for drama practitioners to use even if not practicing theatre
that is related to Boal's academic or political ideas. Boal refers to many of these as "gamesercises", as they
combine the training and "introversion" of exercises with the fun and "extroversion" of games. It has been
influential in the development of Community Theatre and Theatre in Education (T.I.E.) practices worldwide,
especially in Europe and South America. These games include Carnival in Rio and Your Friend is Dead.
The Rainbow of Desire: The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. (London: Routledge,
1995)
This book re-evaluates the practices commonly associated with the Theatre of the Oppressed for a new
purpose. It has been argued that Boal contradicts himself with this take on his work, as it mostly concerns
itself with creating harmony within society, whereas his early work was concerned with rebellion and
upheaval. Boal states that, "Theatre is the passionate combat of two human beings on a platform." However,
Boal's works can be seen as a progression and exploration of a Left Wing world view rather than a unified
theory. In the context of those under-represented in a society, his methodology can be used as a weapon
against oppressors. In the context of those in a society who are in need of catharsis for the sake of their own
integration into it, it can be switched round to empower that individual to break down internal oppressions
that separate that individual from society. The theories have been useful in the pioneering field of drama
therapy and have been applied by drama practitioners. Boal states in his work that there are three properties
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of the aesthetic space. First, is plasticity. He says that one can be without being. Objects can acquire
different meaning such as an old chair representing a kings throne. He states that only duration counts and
location can be changed. Second, is that the aesthetic space is dichotomic and it creates dichotomy. This idea
suggests that there is a space within a space. The stage is in front of the audience and the actor is creating his
own space. Third, is telemicroscopic. This idea creates the idea that it is impossible to hide on stage. Every
aspect of the space is seen and it makes the far away close-up.
Other books Legislative Theatre: Using Performance to Make Politics. London: Routledge, 1998.
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Hamlet and the Baker's Son: My Life in Theatre and Politics. London: Routledge, 2001.
The Aesthetics of the Oppressed. London: Routledge, 2006.
Recognition
Augusto Boal receives the Crossborder Award for Peace and Democracy. Abbey Theatre, April 3rd 2008.
In 1994, Boal won the UNESCO Pablo Picasso Medal, and in August 1997, he was awarded the "Career
Achievement Award" by the Association of Theatre in Higher Education at their national conference in
Chicago, Illinois. Boal is also seen as the inspiration behind 21st-century forms of performance-activism,
such as the "Optative Theatrical Laboratories".
Boal received The Cross Border Award for Peace and Democracy by Dundalk Institute of Technology in
2008. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. Boal has in many ways influenced many artists
in new media with his participatory modes of expression, especially as the World Wide Web has become
such a powerful tool for participation and communication. Notable examples include Learning to Love You
More, happenings, and Steve Lambert's Why They Hate US.
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Go to: Jennifer S Hartley
References
1.
2. Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed: A Brief Biography of Augusto Boal
3. O Palco. Biographical info Augusto Boal (In Portuguese).
4. Eckersley, M. 1995. "A Matter of Style - The Theatre of Augusto Boal". Mask Magazine. Vol. 18 No. 3.
Drama Victoria. Melbourne.
5. Frances. Augusto Boal. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-27325-0ISBN 978-0-415-27325-1
6. Enciclopedia Itau Cultural- Teatro- Augusto Boal's Biography (In Portuguese)
7. Directly translated from the Augusto Boal Wiki page in Portuguese.
8. http://www.tg3.com.br/ditadura/ditadura_militar.htm
9. http://www.ptoweb.org/boal.html
10. "murio augusto boal, creador del teatro del oprimido".
11. http://www.spunk.org/texts/art/sp000338.html
12. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teatro_del_Oprimido
13. Babbage, F. 2004. Augusto Boal. New York: Routledge.
14. Eckersley, M. 1995. "A Matter of Style - The Theatre of Augusto Boal". Mask Magazine, Vol. 18, No.3.
Drama Victoria, Melbourne.
15. Augusto Boal: candidato a Premio Nobel de la Paz, mandioca.lelê
16. http://www.lidous.net/2008/09/24/my-dear-friends/
17. José Braz da Silveira, A proteção à testemunha & o crime organizado no Brasil
18. http://josekuller.wordpress.com/38-entrevista-com-augusto-boal/
19. The Theatre of the Oppressed: The Philosophy of Augusto Boal, by Kevin A. Harris
20. The theatre of the oppressed, by Augusto Boal. UNESCO Courier, Nov, 1997.
21. Empowering the oppressed through participatory theatre, by Arvind Singhal
22. feed://lainsoportablelevedaddelangel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
23. Wardrip-Fruin, Noah, and Nick Montfort. "From Theatre of the Oppressed." The NewMediaReader.
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2003. 339-52. Print.
24. Boal, Augusto. The Rainbow of Desire: the Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. London: Routledge, 1995.
Print.
25. UNESCO. World Theatre Day.
26. Denis Cummins to make presentation to Augusto Boal
27. International Theatre Institute - Author of the World Theatre Day Message 2009 Augusto Boal
28. International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation.
29. Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory - New York City worked with Boal from 1991
30. Augusto Boal Interview on Democracy Now! in 2005
31. Augusto Boal, Founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, Dies at 78 Interview on Democracy Now! in
2007
32. A Tribute to a Brazilian Writer Who Made Theater into a Weapon for the Oppressed June 28, 2009
33. Giolli, an italian cooperative that works with his method Agost 11 2009
34. Cardboard Citizens - The UK's Theatre of the Oppressed Practitioners
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35. Centre for Community Dialogue and Change, India: Breaking Patterns, Creating Change -
Conducting Theatre of the Oppressed Workshops and Research especially in Education and
Healthcare
36. Augusto Boal Techniques
From Wikipedia connections
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