Augusto Boal

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.[1]

1
1.1

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 So Paulos nationalist phase repertoire. One of these productions was
Chapetuba Futebol Clube, written by Oduvaldo Vianna
Filho in 1959 and directed by Augusto Boal.[6]

Biography
Early life

Augusto Boal studied at Columbia University in New

York with the critic John Gassner. 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.[2] In 1956, shortly after graduating, Boal was
asked to work with the Arena Theatre in So Paulo, southeast Brazil.[3] Boal was in charge of directing plays along
with other dramaturgs such as Jos 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 Stanislavskis '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.[4][5]

1.2

1.3 Exile
A new military regime started in Brazil in 1964 with a
coup d'tat supported by the Brazilian elite, the industrialists, the military, as well as by the United States,[7] Boals
teachings were controversial, and as a cultural activist he
was seen as a threat by the Brazilian military regime. In
1971, Boal was kidnapped o the street, arrested, tortured, and eventually exiled to Argentina,[8] where he
stayed for ve years. During those ve years, Boal published two books: Torquemada (1971) and his much acclaimed Theatre of the Oppressed (1973). Torquemada
is about the Brazilian military regimes systematic use of
torture in prison.[9] Boal takes the name of the leading
gure of the Spanish Inquisition, Tomas de Torquemada
as an example of historical 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).[10]

Work at the Arena Theatre of So Boals method (which has been implemented in various
communities around the world) seeks to transform auPaulo
diences 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 spectactors.[11] 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-

While working at the Arena Theatre in So 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 Boals rst performance as a director at the Arena Theatre of So Paulo. Critics acclaimed
this piece and Boal won the Prmio de Revelao de Direo (Direction Revelation Award) from the Association
of Art Critics of So Paulo, in 1956. In the early sixties,
the ratings at the Arena Theatre of So Paulo started to
1

1 BIOGRAPHY

raising) theatre work based on the idea of Brazilian educationalist Paulo Freire.[12] Freires methods were a revolt
against the elitist top-down approach to education and
he advocated critical awareness based education models.
Boals 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 Boals 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.[13] 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 conicts 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 rst International Festival
for the Theatre of Oppressed in 1981.[9]
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).[14] The melody of the song
is very happy and upbeat while the lyrics explain:

My dear friend, please forgive me, if I cant

pay you a visit, but since I found someone to
carry a message, Im sending you news on this
tape. Here we play football, theres lots of
samba, lots of choro and rockn'roll. Some
days it rains, some days its sunny but I want
to tell you that things here are pretty dark.
Here, were wheeling and dealing for survival,
and were only surviving because were stubborn. And everyones drinking because without cachaa, nobody survives this squeeze.[15]

1.4 Center for the Theatre

Oppressed-CTO-Brazil

of

the

After the fall of the military dictatorship, Boal returned

to Brazil after 14 years of exile in 1986. He established a major Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed
in Rio de Janeiro (CTO), (www.ctorio.org.br) whose objective was to study, discuss and express issues concerning citizenship, culture and various forms of oppression using theatrical language. Boals work in the
CTO made way for the approval of a new law that protects crime victims and witnesses in Brazil.[16] Boals
group, (Team CTO: Artisto-Political Coordinator Helen Sarapeck/Political-Artistic Coordinator: Geo Britto/
Jokers: Geo Britto, Olivar Bendelak, Claudete Felix,
Flvio Sanctum, Monique Rodrigues e Alessandro Conceio. International Joker Barbara Santos e Cladia Simone. Joker Regional: Claudio Rocha, Kelly di Bertolli e
Yara Toscano. Joker Assistants; Janna Salamandra. Image Consulting: Cachalotte Matos. Financial Management: Graa Silva Legal Advice: Victor Gabriel) has
worked next to numerous organizations that ght for human rights. In 1992, Boal ran for city councillor in Rio de
Janeiro as a theatrical act, and he was elected. Boals support sta 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 Boals 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 dierent groups in
Braslia, where four more laws got approved even after
Boal had left. Boal also worked with prisoners in Rio and
So 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 dierent 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 Boals theatre methods. Boals son Julin 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 March 2009, he received the title of World
Theatre Ambassador from UNESCO.[17]

3.1

1.5

Theatre of the Oppressed (London: Pluto Press, 1979)

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.[18] Critic Yan Michalski argues
that Augusto Boal is the best-known and most respected
Brazilian theatre practitioner abroad.[4]

Inuences

Augusto Boal presenting his workshop on the Theatre of the Oppressed. Riverside Church, May 13, 2008.

Most of Augusto Boals 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 nancially 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 inuence on Boals 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.[1]

3.1

Theatre of the Oppressed (London:

Pluto Press, 1979)

Arguably Augusto Boals most academically inuential

work[20][21][22] is the Theatre of the Oppressed, in which
the reader follows Boals 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 Tragi-drama, 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 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.[23] 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 o 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.[24] 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.[24]

Boal is also known to quote William Shakespeare's 3.2 Games For Actors and Non-Actors (London: Routledge, 1992; Second Edition
Hamlet, in which Hamlet argues that theatre is like a mirror that reects our virtues and defects equally. Although
2002)
Boal nds this quote beautiful, he likes to think of theatre
as a mirror in which one can reach in to change reality and This is probably Augusto Boals most practically inuento transform it.[19]
tial 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
3 Published works
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 Boals 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 inuential 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.

3.3

4 Recognition

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,[25] 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.[25] However, Boals works can be seen as
a progression and exploration of a Left Wing world view
rather than a unied theory. In the context of those underrepresented 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 eld of drama therapy
and have been applied by drama practitioners. Boal states
in his work that there are three properties of the aesthetic
space. First, is plasticity. He says that one can be without
being. Objects can acquire dierent 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.[25]

3.4

REFERENCES

Other books

Legislative Theatre: Using Performance to Make Politics. London: Routledge, 1998.

Hamlet and the Bakers Son: My Life in Theatre and
Politics. London: Routledge, 2001.
The Aesthetics of the Oppressed. London: Routledge, 2006.

Augusto Boal receives the Crossborder Award for Peace and

Democracy. Abbey Theatre, April 3rd 2008.

In 1994, Boal won the UNESCO Pablo Picasso

Medal,[26] 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.[27][28] Boal has in many ways inuenced 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.

5 See also
Applied Drama
Community theatre
Paulo Freire
Playback Theatre

6 References
[1] Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed: A Brief Biography
of Augusto Boal

[2] Eckersley, M. 1995. A Matter of Style - The Theatre of

Augusto Boal. Mask Magazine. Vol. 18 No. 3. Drama
Victoria. Melbourne.
[3] BABBAGE, Frances. Augusto Boal. Routledge, 2004.
ISBN 0-415-27325-0 ISBN 978-0-415-27325-1
[4] Enciclopedia Itau Cultural- Teatro- Augusto Boals Biography (In Portuguese)
[5] O Palco. Biographical info Augusto Boal (In Portuguese).
[6] Directly translated from the Augusto Boal Wiki page in
Portuguese.
[7] Skidmore, Thomas (1999). Brazil: Five Centuries of
Change. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 155.
ISBN 0-19-505810-0.
[8] http://www.ptoweb.org/boal.html
[9] murio augusto boal, creador del teatro del oprimido.

7 External links
Media related to Augusto Boal at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related to Augusto Boal at Wikiquote
International Theatre Institute - Author of the World
Theatre Day Message 2009 Augusto Boal
International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation.
Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory - New York
City worked with Boal from 1991
Augusto Boal Interview on Democracy Now! in
2005

[11] es:Teatro del Oprimido

Augusto Boal, Founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, Dies at 78 Interview on Democracy Now!
in 2007

[12] Babbage, F. 2004. Augusto Boal. New York: Routledge.

Guardian Obituary, May 6, 2009

[13] Eckersley, M. 1995. A Matter of Style - The Theatre of

Augusto Boal. Mask Magazine, Vol. 18, No.3. Drama
Victoria, Melbourne.

New York Times Obituary, May 9, 2009

[10] http://www.spunk.org/texts/art/sp000338.html

[14] Augusto Boal: candidato a Premio Nobel de la Paz, mandioca.lel

[15] http://www.lidous.net/2008/09/24/my-dear-friends/
[16] Jos Braz da Silveira, A proteo testemunha & o crime
organizado no Brasil
[17] Entrevista al brasileo Augusto Boal
[18]
[19] http://josekuller.wordpress.com/
38-entrevista-com-augusto-boal/
[20] The Theatre of the Oppressed: The Philosophy of Augusto Boal, by Kevin A. Harris
[21] The theatre of the oppressed, by Augusto Boal. UNESCO
Courier, Nov, 1997.
[22] Empowering the oppressed through participatory theatre,
by Arvind Singhal
[23] feed://lainsoportablelevedaddelangel.blogspot.com/
feeds/posts/default
[24] Wardrip-Fruin, Noah, and Nick Montfort. From Theatre
of the Oppressed. The NewMediaReader. Cambridge,
Mass.: MIT, 2003. 339-52. Print.
[25] Boal, Augusto. The Rainbow of Desire: the Boal Method
of Theatre and Therapy. London: Routledge, 1995. Print.
[26] UNESCO. World Theatre Day.
[27] Denis Cummins to make presentation to Augusto Boal
[28] Augusto Boal unplugged at the Abbey.

Vigilante, A. Vittoria P., Pedagogie della Liberazione:

Freire, Boal, Capitini, Dolci. Foggia: Il Rosone, 2011.

A Tribute to a Brazilian Writer Who Made Theater

into a Weapon for the Oppressed June 28, 2009
Giolli, an Italian cooperative that works with his
method August 11, 2009
Cardboard Citizens - The UKs Theatre of the Oppressed Practitioners
Centre for Community Dialogue and Change, India:
Breaking Patterns, Creating Change - Conducting
Theatre of the Oppressed Workshops and Research
especially in Education and Healthcare

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Augusto Boal Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Boal?oldid=666071925 Contributors: AxelBoldt, Tobias Hoevekamp,

Olivier, Kingturtle, RodC, Bearcat, Hadal, Maroux, Ganymead, Bepp, Vivacissamamente, D6, Discospinster, Rich Farmbrough, Prowsej,
Bender235, Fschoenm, El C, Laurascudder, Adambro, Pearle, Nsaa, Alansohn, Philip Cross, RJFJR, Mikeo, Eztli, Drbreznjev, Jpers36,
Mandarax, David Levy, Tabercil, Lars T., Parababelico, Fish and karate, FlaBot, Nihiltres, Gurch, Design, Bgwhite, The Rambling Man,
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AntiVandalBot, Rsocol, Brewis2, Magioladitis, Swikid, Waacstats, Cgingold, Kitov, Patstuart, Lord Pheasant, MartinBot, Fs007a2321,
Mausy5043, STBotD, WWGB, Shakesugaree, Philip Trueman, TXiKiBoT, Qxz, Matthij, Kenshin, Wenli, Cosprings, Sarahrmurphy,
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silenciada, Haider kkhan, Joelryan10, KasparBot and Anonymous: 210

8.2

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8.3

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