52 pages • 1 hour read
Augusto BoalTheatre of the Oppressed
Augusto BoalNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1977A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “Poetics 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).
The phrase “poetics of the oppressed” is Boal’s challenge to the traditional model of theater, and the main function of this concept is to transform spectators into active participants. The audience becomes the protagonist and therefore has the agency to make decisions and try different solutions. To illustrate this dynamic, Boal uses the example of the photography section of the ALFIN project. In one task, individuals were asked a question in Spanish: “Where do you live?” They were taught to use cameras, and their photography—which is its own kind of language—answered the question. Then the group examined the photos and discussed the meaning behind them. One participant shared a picture of a child’s face with blood on it. When the group challenged the man, claiming that his photo did not answer the question, he explained that the tragic experience behind the photograph was his response to the reality of where he lives.
Boal’s similar model for theater has four stages. First, the group engages in a series of exercises that center on knowing the body. The first stage is intended to connect groups of people who are unfamiliar with theater and to allow those who have never had an opportunity to engage with artistic expression to become comfortable. Boal explains that a person coming into this group—as in the case of the ALFIN project—runs the risk of affirming a power structure that separates the educator from the participants. In Boal’s model, as the participants get to know their own bodies by exploring how different types of work manifest in their muscles, everyone begins on familiar and equal ground. The function of this exercise is to raise the level of consciousness.
In the second stage, Boal shows how theater can be used to expand the body’s expressive skills. One example involves giving each person a card with the name of an animal written on it. Each animal has a male and female pair. Using only their bodies, participants must act as their designated animals and find their mates.
The third stage utilizes three different forms to help shape theater as language. Spectators can write alongside actors, intervene by helping to shape the actors’ bodies, or intervene directly in the action. These three forms are called simultaneous dramaturgy, image theater, and forum theater. In the fourth and final stage, the group engages in theater as discourse. Boal asserts that the ruling classes present the spectacle for the audience out of assurance of what the world is and what it will be—that is, what they want and need it to be. For the oppressed, however, the future is indefinite. Therefore, Boal’s model presents an open-ended model that engages audiences in thinking about their own futures and transitions.
Chapter 4 Analysis
In this chapter, Boal offers his own model—poetics of the oppressed—to replace earlier forms of theater. He juxtaposes his approach with Aristotle and Brecht’s ideas to highlight how his form of theater places power back in the hands of the viewers. For Aristotle, the spectator relinquishes power to the actors, relying on them to lead the way toward catharsis and equilibrium. Brecht created a model in which viewers could trust the actors to stand in their place, acting in accordance with systems of economic and social oppression. By contrast, Boal wanted an approach that would allow viewers to think for themselves—to return to the early, wild forms of theater that were free from the restrictive laws of a poetic-political system.
Boal’s model of Liberation through Participation was forged during his time working for the ALFIN project—a nationwide project that promoted literacy in Brazil. The ALFIN project had two fundamental principles. The first was to preserve the original language and literacies of Brazil’s diverse people groups, and the second was to empower Brazil’s people with multiple forms of literacy. Boal’s ideas were influenced by Paulo Freire, who reimagined education as a collaborative effort between teacher and students, and Boal also incorporated the techniques he gleaned from his colleagues in the ALFIN project. One of these strategies was used in the form of photography as literacy. Boal was struck by the depth of meaning in the chosen photos, particularly the fact that these images offered unique insights into the nuances of the participants’ lived experiences. He began to ask how theater could be used as a form of literacy that audience members could wield, rather than remaining an art form embraced only by actors.
In his earlier chapters, Boal shows how the history of Western theater upholds systemic oppression. One of the ways that this occurs is through strict adherence to form. Boal’s work with the ALFIN project helped pave the way for his time at the Arena Theater, where traditional forms of theater were challenged and rejected.
Each stage of Boal’s model emphasizes the body. Participants are asked to engage with how their body feels and how systems of power impact their own muscular experiences. By engaging the body over verbal language, Boal highlights a different type of literacy—physical literacy. Both photography and physical literacy transcend the limitations of verbal language. This idea became especially important for Boal, who was working with people from vastly different backgrounds who spoke a wide array of languages. By embracing multiple experiences and languages, Boal adds another layer of subversion to the classical form of theater.
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