Theatre of the Oppressed

In this chapter, Boal presents his own approach to transformation through art. He provides a historical summary that leads to his model, stating that the beginning of the theater was wild and participatory. Ruling classes then reshaped the art form to maintain power through isolation, separating spectators from actors. Boal’s model is intended to liberate those who are oppressed by removing the barrier between spectators and actors and opening the narrative through the “Joker” system.

Experiments with the People’s Theater in Peru

In August of 1973, Peru established a national literacy campaign to address rampant illiteracy in the country. One of the unique challenges that Peru faced in this campaign was the sheer number of dialects spoken. Forty-one dialects of the country’s two main languages had been identified, and 45 different languages were spoken in just one region in the northern part of Peru. The ALFIN project, which focused the power of language to build a greater understanding of reality, centered on teaching literacy in both the speaker’s first language and in Spanish. The project also expanded the definition of literacy to include all types of artistic expression. Boal participated in the theatrical portion of the project, stating, “We tried to show in practice how the theater can be placed at the service of the oppressed” (121).