Theatre of the Oppressed: a tool for peace in times of conflict

Project around the play Lisistrata

In a time of conflicts and wars, it becomes urgent to understand how each of us, in our daily lives, can behave in a peaceful manner. In this direction the Donizetti Theatre Foundation joins the School of Nonviolence Learning Peace of Bergamo through a shared project on the occasion of the season premiere of Lisistrata by Aristophanes.

This is a training proposal for young people and adults dedicated to the Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical method developed in the 1960s by Augusto Boal, first in Brazil, then in Europe, and now widespread and practised in many countries around the world.

It's a social theatre, which aims to develop the natural human theatricality to recognise, analyse and transform situations of discomfort, malaise, conflict. It is a maieutic method because it does not bring ideologies or truths, but allows experiences to emerge. It starts from individual or group situations experienced as problematic and then makes them collectively usable and addressable through a theatrical discussion, which goes beyond verbal communication and thus allows solutions to be implemented. T.d.O. work stimulates action and not only reflection, involving mind, body and emotion. It envisages change and wants to shake off passivity and resignation, arousing solidarity, empathy and collective action capable of transformation.

The focus of the meetings will be on concrete life situations, whether personal or collective, on a micro level (personal relations), meso level (relations between groups), macro level (social issues, relations with institutions, general issues…), using techniques such as games-exercises, image-theatre and forum-theatre.

The Popular School of Nonviolence Learning Peace, now in its second year, is an open space for research, dialogue and training, promoted together by twenty or so realities of the Bergamo area to learn, deepen, discuss and delegitimise violence and war, to promote a pedagogy of nonviolence, to support, equip and qualify action for peace.

Giolli is a cooperative reality born from the will and trust of “ser mais” (“to be more” in the words of Freire), which wants to dialogue with the world mainly through theatrical language. Since 1992, it has been using Augusto Boal's method combined with Paulo Freire's pedagogical thinking to raise awareness in society and to react to more or less explicit forms of oppression, marginalisation and exclusion.

For more information:
La Porta Fondazione Serughetti Centro Studi e Documentazione
Tel. +39 035.219230
E-mail info@laportabergamo.it