ABSTRACT
Boal uses a vast range of practical exercises, many of which are documented in his books. Games for Actors and Non-Actors in particular provides a wealth of these and is extremely accessible. The Rainbow of Desire is another important source of approaches, principally intended as a means of exploring personal and psychological issues through theatre. Additionally, Boal is constantly inventing or reinventing others. In any workshop he is likely to introduce a new game and ask participants to judge its usefulness: what does it achieve, and how might it be improved or modified? In this chapter I have included a selection of techniques I have found productive and enjoyable, and have structured these to suggest one way a practical session, or series of sessions, might proceed. I have deliberately introduced a fairly wide range of approaches. It will not necessarily be appropriate to include all these in any one workshop. I have explained how exercises are carried out in my own words, but quote Boal at those moments when illustrations of his distinctive teaching style may prove enlightening. Finally, I have not described or envisaged a specific kind of participant but have tried to show how these techniques can be practised by any interested individual or group, adapting them as the need arises.
