Augusto Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed Brazilian writer, playwright, director Once on Rio de Janeiro City Council Invented Theatre of the Oppressed

Stolen material Every quote and picture here is stolen from the Wikipedia entry on Augusto Boal.

Whose words? Every line in this powerpoint is a quote from Augusto Boal, translated from Portuguese.

Between fiction and reality The Theatre of the Oppressed is located precisely on the frontier between fiction and reality – and this border must be crossed. If the show starts in fiction, its objective is to become integrated into reality, into life.

What is theatre? Theater is the capacity possessed by human beings, and not by animals, to observe themselves in action. All human beings are Actors (they act!) and Spectators (they observe!)

When does it end? In truth, the Theatre of the Oppressed has no end, because everything which happens in it must extend into life.

What should theatre people do? This is...how artists should be—we should be creators and also teach the public how to be creators, how to make art, so that we may all use that art together.

What about the buildings? Theatre has nothing to do with buildings or other physical constructions. Theatre — or theatricality — is the capacity, this human property which allows man to observe himself in action, in activity.

Who must do theatre? We must all do theatre – to find out who we are, and to discover who we could become.