ABSTRACT

BOAL IS THE BRAZILIAN CREATOR of Theatre of the Oppressed, an arsenal of dramatic techniques that function as rehearsals for personal and social change. He created invisible theater to stimulate debate on political issues while living in Argentina in the 1970s, when overt political theatre was impossible. Answering the charge of manipulation, Boal emphasizes that the consequences of invisible theatre are real. He does, nevertheless, add a safety net: ‘warmer-uppers ’ get people involved in invisible theatre, and ‘cooler-downers ’ guard against unforeseen danger in doing these acts as reality in public.