Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal

Theater of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal

1) What’s the most sever consequence for Boal of his Interactive techniques? Why does his “interactivity” elicit such a violent response?

– Boal has already been to jail for his Interactive techniques. Boal’s colleagues were murdered by the military government and he was jailed and tortured for 3 months and was warned that he would never be safe after his release. Boal has already seen the most sever consequences. The government is doing this to him because he is helping and warning people about what they are doing to them. He helps ordinary people open their eyes to see what is really going on and when the government is made aware of this, they see a need to stop it at once because they do not want to be found out.

2) Why is “knowing the body” so important to the power of Boal’s techniques? WHat does “knowing the body” have to do with interactivity? passivity? hierarchy? resistance?

– “Knowing the body” is important and the first step to Boal’s process. It is important to stand out and be the leader, the hierarchy of a small community to stand up and let your voice be heard. When you know what you are talking about and show it and tell what you can do, people will listen. Especially if it involves them and making their lives more easy to live.

3) Why are Boal’s techniques called “The Sims of the Oppressed”?

– Boal’s techniques are called “The Sims of the Oppressed” because he is allowing users to explore characters and their situations more thoroughly than a new video game can.

4) In simultaneous dramaturgy the actors present a local problem to the crisis point, then invite local people to suggest solutions to the scene. The example is an illiterate women who discovers her husband’s secret documents are love letters from a mistress. The problem is how is she to get revenge without it hurting her? Now think of a situation of injustice in which you felt a powerful impulse to act, but in which your actions could have hurt you or someone else. Describe this scene. Could you imagine it in a game scene with various solutions?

– A situation that I can relate to that jumps in my head at first thought is the new policy that the University of Maine released. They banned cigarettes on campus. I am a smoker, I pay thousands of dollars to live on campus and eat on campus, and also pay for classes. This is my secondary home. How can people that do not even live on campus, that do not even attend school on campus even have a say about how the living styles should be? In my opinion, they do not have a say in this case. I will keep smoking cigarettes on campus, even though I could get fined, or get sent to a drug and alcohol conduct meeting, which stays on my record. They treat smokers like criminals and it needs to be stopped. I for one am not giving into this policy.

5)What is image theater and how & why does it work?

– An image theatre is making an issue or statement known to a group of people and without responding verbally, you can identify everyone’s opinions by their stature and facial expressions. It is as if you are sculpting the audience into what you are trying to make.

6) What are the rules of invisible theater and how does it work?

– An Invisible Theatre is when someone has no particular audience and does not present himself in a theatrical setting. It is more of a public announcement and by standers who are passing will hear and remember certain quotes that may stick with them, or keep them listening. Rehearsing and having a script to read is ideal for this kind of presentation.

7) Why is spectator a bad word? In what ways is a spectator less than a man? What is the antidote? How does interactive theater liberate passive spectators and transform society? How is interactive theater (or Occupy) practice for revolution, and why is revolution necessary?

– Spectator is a bad word because it means that you are less than an man and it is necessary to humanize him, to restore to him his capacity of action in all its fullest. It demotes the man who is listening because it is as if you are telling him something that he doesn’t know. It is demoting.