Spotlight on… Theater of the Oppressed September 15, 2010

As we gear up for the conference, I will be talking with a few presenters to introduce them to the RISE community and highlight the topics  covered in their workshops.

This week, I caught up with Ellen Baxt, who is co-facilitating a workshop on Theater of the Oppressed. At the first RISE conference in 2009, attendees were invited to participate in an abbreviated workshop on Theater of the Oppressed. Luckily, this year Theater of the Oppressed is back by popular demand, this time with a full, 2.5 hour workshop!

Read on to learn more about Ellen, Theater of the Oppressed, and political theater in action!

What exactly is Theater of the Oppressed? And how do theater and performance contribute to fighting oppression? Theater of the Oppressed was developed by Brazilian activist and theater director, Augusto Boal and has been used for decades as a tool for fighting oppression around the world. Community members become actors and actresses, sharing their personal experiences of oppression using their bodies and voices. Actors and audience learn from each other about the oppressions that exist in our society, their impact, and ways of fighting back.

How did you become involved with Theater of the Oppressed?

My journey with Theater of the Oppressed began in 2005 when I went through a six-month training internship with the Theater of the Oppressed Lab (TOPLAB) and then became a core member of TOPLAB. I work with community organizations, training and supporting them in Theater of the Oppressed techniques that they use in their organizing and advocacy work.

You facilitated a Theater of the Oppressed workshop at the first RISE conference. What brings you back again this year? At last year’s RISE conference I facilitated an introductory Theater of the Oppressed workshop for a group of insightful, passionate, introspective social workers and activists and many said they wanted more. I am pleased to be able to offer a longer workshop this year.

What do you hope conference participants will walk away with when they leave your workshop? Theater of the Oppressed offers participants an opportunity to see, analyze and discuss one anothers’ experiences of oppression. It’s so rare that we share these experiences on both a personal and political level, making connections and more deeply understanding the nature of oppression in our society. I hope workshop participants continue to share these stories and understand how oppression affects us individually and in communities.

To see this political theater in action, check out VIVIENCIAS DEL INMIGRANTE, a play created and performed by Teatro Rodante del Inmigrante, the traveling theater of Make the Road New York. The play takes place in a New York City factory, created by five immigrant women who have lived that reality. It will be performed at the Queens Museum, September 19 at 1:00 p.m. Audiences members will be invited to take part in the play, showing how they would fight back against the oppression of factory workers. More event information HERE.

Theater of the Oppressed Lab (TOPLAB) offers workshops open to the public at the Brecht Forum. For more information go to www.brechtforum.org/institute. Anyone interested in having TOPLAB present at a conference or other event can email ellenbaxt@gmail.com.

Rebecca Stahl is a conference organizer for RISE and manages the RISE blog. Contact blog@riseconference.org with questions or for more information on what you read here!