Theatre of the Oppressed Grad Student

The question about the role theatre plays in major world events reminds me of the one Tim posed in his prompt about the Holocaust, and I feel pretty strongly about my response to that question. By that I mean: I rarely think theatre is the venue to take on a magnanimous issue as a whole under the constraints that typical theatre operates from. We, as artists and audiences, can only suspend disbelief so far, and in tackling an issue of that gravity, the cynic in me says that we would only be so successful. If I’m being honest with myself about taking on the circumstances under which a mass genocide, entire war or an event of crippling oppression, I don’t personally believe I would be able to fathom how much impact an event of that depth could make me feel. If we are using theatre as the vehicle to address something like the Holocaust, a particularly gruesome war, genocide, and social or racial oppression, the best way in is through one person or small group of people’s experience. It may be a bastardized form of the event on the entire scale, but if someone is to take on something of that nature, it is too grand to be accessible, and we’ve failed before it’s begun. So in some ways, yeah, I do think there are some issues where theatre stops being the answer.

That being said, I don’t disagree with Boal’s method of work on Theatre of the Oppressed, which doesn’t come at us in the same passive audience observing kind of way. As a presentation, I’m weary to say yes, and… but as a tool to use as an efficient educational method to self-awareness, being more socially aware and empathetic, and learning skills in which to combat the future impact of such events- even going so far back to the Rehearsing Warrior Ethos article as a reason to consider theatre in this way- is something to consider. Maybe we use the skills Boal talks about in service to searching for the answer to a problem and through that knowledge and dialogue there are steps to be taken in attempt to make change, but a presentation on a proscenium stage about oppression isn’t the way to incite it.

This brings me back around to the first question Maggie posed: what is the next step? Call me an optimist, but I feel like the best case scenario for making change is starting with an honest account of our history and implementing some of these activities that Boal has used for years into our school systems to teach empathy and understanding. I am a huge advocate for teaching life skills through theatre, and starting young with people from all different walks of life is a way in with the upcoming generation who are going to make a difference. For our own theatrical dialogue? I don’t know. But I hope we don’t give up on the ways in which we have a say just because things get a little too hard in the face of technology and ADD.