THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED. Enacting conflicts in times of war

Project centred on the performance *The Other Side*

In a time of war and widespread violence, it is becoming urgent to understand how each of us, in our daily lives, can adopt behaviours that promote peace. With this in mind, the Donizetti Theatre Foundation has joined the ‘Imparare la pace’ People’s School of Non-Violence in Bergamo, and together they are offering a training course on the Theatre of the Oppressed as part of their programme, in collaboration with the Giolli cooperative in Parma.
This is a training programme 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.
È It is a form of social theatre that aims to develop people’s natural theatricality in order to recognise, analyse and transform situations of distress, unease and conflict. It is a maieutic method because it does not impose ideologies or truths, but allows experiences to emerge. It begins with individual or group situations experienced as problematic, and then makes them collectively accessible and manageable through a theatrical discussion – one that goes beyond verbal communication and thus enables solutions to be acted upon. The work of T.d.O. stimulates action, not just reflection, engaging the mind, body and emotions. It envisages change and seeks to shake off passivity and resignation, fostering solidarity, empathy and collective actions capable of bringing about transformation.

The programme is structured on two levels: a basic course and an advanced course.

BASIC
COURSE The workshop will address both individual and collective themes, as well as personal, social and political dimensions, because, as the early feminists said, “the personal is political”, meaning – as TdO does – that the dominant oppressive values and mechanisms in society manifest themselves in everyday relationships; therefore, addressing them is necessary, and TdO is an effective aid in this.
The content of the sessions will consist of concrete life situations, whether personal or collective, at the micro level (personal relationships), the meso level (relationships between groups) and the macro level (social issues, relations with institutions, general topics, etc.). Theoretical elements will be introduced, where necessary, to clarify points arising from the practical sessions.

ADVANCED

COURSE The advanced course is aimed at those who have already completed a basic training course on TdO and aims to explore the potential of TdO in greater depth within the group. Particular attention will be paid to possible collaborations with local organisations interested in developing themes of social activism using TdO tools.

The ‘Imparare la pace’ People’s School of Nonviolence, now in its third year, is an open space for research, dialogue and education, jointly promoted by around twenty organisations in the Bergamo area to understand, explore, discuss and delegitimise violence and war; to promote a pedagogy of non-violence; and to support, equip and empower action for peace.

Giolli is a cooperative organisation born out of the desire and conviction to ‘ser mais’ (‘to be more’, in Freire’s words), which seeks to engage with the world primarily through the language of theatre. Since 1992, it has been using Augusto Boal’s method, combined with Paulo Freire’s pedagogical thought, to raise social awareness and to respond to more or less explicit forms of oppression, marginalisation and exclusion.

For further information:
La Porta Fondazione Serughetti Centre for Studies and Documentation
https://www.impararelapace.it/
Tel. +39 035 219230
E-mail info@laportabergamo.it