ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s I was looking for new ways to fuse my political work and theatre skills. In Canada, different groups of people were beginning to speak out about their reality, demanding recognition and organizing for the changes they felt were necessary. Those who were disempowered in our society-women, Natives, gays, lesbians, refugees, immigrants, blacks, the poor, workers, etc.—were looking for ways to make their voices heard. And here was this Brazilian guy writing about a theatre that provided a tool for people to do just that. With Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) a community could create a play about its reality, a play using all the recognized structures found in theatre. Then the audience could challenge those structures by crossing the mythical line between auditor ium and stage and becoming actors themselves, taking action to change the story they had just seen. Augusto Boal pointed out that theatre as most of us know it, mainstream theatre, is a reflection of our society-a few people acting out a pre-determined story in the full blaze of lights while the majority sit passively in the dark and watch whatever happens. What better way to learn to challenge society than by challenging this same theatrical model?
