This workshop is an introduction to the forms of socio-political activism that make up the arsenal of the Theater of the Oppressed (TO): a collection of games, techniques and exercises for using theater as a vehicle for personal and social change. It is a method of harnessing the laboratory of theater as a powerful tool for exploring power, transforming oppression and finding community-building solutions to problems of inequality, conflict and injustice. In addition to working with the TO created by Boal, it will teach new games, exercises and techniques created in recent years by the Escola de Teatro Popular. 

What is Theater of the Oppressed? The Theater of the Oppressed (TO) is a theory and practice originally developed by theater innovator Augusto Boal during the 1970s and 1980s in an effort to transform the “monologue” theater of traditional performance into a “dialogue” between audience and stage. Inspired by the educational theories of Paulo Freire, Boal used TO with peasants and workers throughout Latin America. TO encompasses a series of imaginative theatrical exercises that promote awareness of how bodies are linked to tradition, to one's individual and collective social situation and limitations, and to individual and collective attitudes. Throughout his career, Boal developed various forms of interactive theater and performance strategies that are now used internationally.

Geo Britto - Founder and Member of the Coordination Board of the Escola de Teatro Popular-ETP. He has been working with the Theater of the Oppressed for 34 years, 20 of them with Augusto Boal. He has given lectures, workshops and theater performances in Palestine, Bolivia, Mozambique, Egypt, India, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Croatia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Germany, England, Sweden, Canada and the United States. He has a Master's degree in Arts from UFF, a PhD in Theater from USP and is the father of twins. Geo Britto - Founder and Member of the Coordination Board of the Escola de Teatro Popular-ETP. He has been working with the Theater of the Oppressed for 34 years, 20 of them with Augusto Boal. He has given lectures, workshops and presentations in dozens of countries. He has a Master's degree in Arts from UFF, a PhD in Theater from USP and is the father of twins Geo Britto - Founder and Member of the Coordination Board of the Escola de Teatro Popular-ETP. He has been working with the Theater of the Oppressed for over 34 years, 20 of them with Augusto Boal, and is the father of twins.