Theatre of the Oppressed

Theatre of the Oppressed was born in 1971, in Brazil, under the very young form of Newspaper Theatre , with the specific goal of dealing with local problems – soon, it was used all over the country. Forum Theatre came into being in Peru, in 1973, as part of a Literacy Program; we thought it would be good only for South America– now it is practiced in more than 70 countries. Growing up, TO developed Invisible Theatre in Argentina, as political activity, and Image Theatre to establish dialogue among Indigenous Nations and Spanish descendants, in Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico... Now these forms are being used in all kinds of dialogues.

In Europe, TO expanded and the Rainbow of Desire came into being – first to understand psychological problems, later even to create characters in any play. Back in Brazil, the Legislative Theatre was born to help the Desire of the population to become Law – which it did at last 13 times. Right now, the Subjunctive Theatre is coming slowly into being.

TO was used by peasants and workers; later, by teachers and students; now, also by artists, social workers, psychotherapists, NGOs... At first, in small, almost clandestine places. Now in the streets, schools, churches, trade-unions, regular theatres, prisons...

Applied Theatre Workshops employ a variety of processes based on Theatre of the Oppressed to define issues, clarify objectives, build skills, and rehearse practical action by engaging participants in interactive theatre techniques and exercises.

Game playing is one of the core activities of Applied Theatre. An extensive arsenal of well-crafted and expertly facilitated games allows participants to stretch the limits of their imaginations, demechanize habitual behaviors, develop new responses, and analyze societal structures of power and oppression. Game playing is useful, fun, and builds community!

Image Theatre allows participants to explore situations they would like to change and see what positive transformation looks and feels like by sculpting their own and others’ bodies into images of problems and transformation. Images are “dynamized” with words and actions to develop processes for making transformative change.

Forum Theatre performances present short plays which show a situation that needs to be changed. Audience members are invited to replace an actor on stage and try to change the situation. Other actors respond in character, trying to maintain their oppressive or exploitative power. Forum Theatre provides a means for testing solutions in action. The audience makes and evaluates all choices. Some of the groups with whom CAT works create and perform their own Forum Theatre pieces, while others supply us with information from which we develop scripts. Legislative Theatre is an extension of Forum Theatre which leads to public policy proposals.

Rainbow of Desire exercises use Image and Forum Theatre to explore internalized oppression as the result of external, social, and systemic pressures. Participants develop an understanding of self-oppression as a way of increasing empathy and exploring opportunities for creative expression and public transformation.