CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Community Theatre Companies

Community Theatre Companies

This week, our group has conducted research into various community theatre companies who target their work towards a particular social cause, often involving people who are marginalised by society. We presented our findings to the group and in turn developed an embedded knowledge of these various companies.  This research has been so inspiring for me as someone who wants to make theatre since it has highlighted to me the impact that theatre can have on people, for example the groundbreaking research 'Age Exchange' has shown and its effect on people living with dementia is something that really resonated with me, as that can have such an immense impact on people's lives.

1) CLEAN BREAK: 'A woman's theatre company changing lives and changing minds - on stage, in prison and in the community'

Clean Break: The theatre company telling the story of women in prison
http://www.cleanbreak.org.uk/ - website 

A writer who was commissioned to write for Clean Break talking about a piece created for Latitude Festival, 'Sweatbox'.

• Clean Break was set up in 1979 by two women prisoners: Jenny Hicks and Jackie Holborough with the belief that theatre could bring the hidden stories of imprisoned women to a wider audience. 
• Jenny and Jackie met in the exercise yard and started rehearsing Jesus Christ Superstar, but the prison government put a stop to the spectacle. They met again at Ashkams Grange Open Prison where they expanded the annual Christmas show to a theatre workshop and then a troupe. Their first show was a 2 hour play called Efemera, played first at prison, and then it was eventually taken to York Arts Centre and then the Goodricke College at the University of York. This was under agreement from the Home Offrice that the group would only be allowed to play outside of prison as long as they didn't advertise themselves as serving prisoners.
• They were the first 21 strong group of British prisoners to perform outside of prison. 
• When they were released, they decided to launch Clean Break as a workshop and toruing company open to all interested women ex offenders as a support group and means for developing skills and discovering a voice for themselves through theatre. 
• Their base was initially in Camden, but it is now based in Kentish Town.
• In the first seven years of the company's creation, they were self financed, working with box office splits and charity grants, and then the Greater London Council and then the Arts Council. 
• The company toured in the UK, Europe and the US, playing to a variety of audiences including mainstream theatres, community centres, art institutions, conferences, educational establishments and local groups. 
• Their first few shows consisted of 'A Question of Habit' and 'Under Eros' to name a couple - it was after a reading at the Royal Court however that the company policy emerged to launch an after discussion with the audience. Some of the shows that came after were Avenues (1981), Decade (1984), The Goal Life and the Easter Egg.
• The  company also undertakes workshops with young ofeners, participates in service training schemes for prison staff and probation officers and performs regularly in educational establishments. This is coordinated through the educational/training branch of the company, which particularly seeks to work with ex offenders to develop personal, social, professional and creative skills, in order to gain education/employment.  Another integral branch of the company is the writing/production aspect, which works with the principle to entertain and enlighten audiences about the complex problems women face in the criminal justice system. Finally, Clean  Break also has an outreach network where outreach teams work in prisons with wardens and staff within the criminal justice system.
• Clean Break's vision consists of using theatre to keep the subject of how women are treated in prison/under the criminal justice system on the cultural radar, helping to reveal the damage caused by the failures of the criminal justice system. 
• Their women only identity is key to their rationale. Treatment of women in the crimianl justice system is one of the clearest demonstrations that society is unequal and that women are judged by different standards to men. Most female offenders have experienced male violence and are victims of crime but are twice as likely as men to be sent to prison. Clean Break wants to challenge these as well as the stigma around offenders.

2) LONDON PLAYBACK THEATRE: spontaenous, improvised community theatre

• The London Playback Theatre creates spontaenous, improvised theatre through a unique collaboration between performers and audiences, responding the people's stories using the audience. This creates a unique improvised experience in a range of public places. The rules dictate that this should be done in large groups to establish a sense of eventual unity and empowerment. 
• The group tell eachother stories and through the magic of theatre, they bring those stories to life. They tell stories with a variety of techniques, whether this is song, dance or cloth, and usually have follow up workshops, after stories and improvisations.
• The people who facilitate this work are practitioners, educators, therapists and consultants, making it a safe place where anyone can tell a story. 
• They believe in changing the dynamic between the actor and the audience as participants are directly involved and encouraged to tell their stories and experiences. This helps deepen the understanding of the participants' selves and the people around them, creating authentic and life changing experiences.
• There are regular Playback gatherings and festivals in different parts of the world, including in Finland, the UK, Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe, Israel, Hong Kong, Nepal and India. Playback North America, a network of playback companies in North America, has held several conferences. The International Playback Theatre Network (IPTN) holds a conference every four years in different parts of the world. ITN conferences have taken place in Sydney, Australia (1992), in a village north of Helsinki, Finland (1993), Christchurch, New Zealand (1994), in Olympia, Washington, USA (1995), Perth, Australia (1997), York, England (1999), Shizuoka, Japan (2003), São Paulo, Brazil (2007), Frankfurt, Germany (2011), Montreal, Canada (2015). The next international conference will be held in Bangalore, India, in December 2019.

3) SYNERGY THEATRE PROJECT works towards rehabilitation with prisons and ex-offenders

• Synergy was established in 1999, and it works towards the rehabilitation and reesetablishment of offenders through theatre, believing that the power of theatre is transformative and can change perceptions. They like working in non traditional venues, and like transforming prison spaces to perform to take life outside of the walls and invite audiences in, creating 'groundbreaking' work. 
• The current Artistic Director is Esther Baker, who founded Synergy in 200 having received a Butler Trust Development Award. She directs Synergy's productions and has also worked for the National Theatre, Young Vic, Royal Court and in the West End. 
• Martin McDonaugh is a Patron of the project. 
• They have a tendency to focus on prisoners and ex prisoner experiences in order to humanise them. 
• Projects are generally developed over five weeks in prisons, and then performed to family and friends in a special showing. 
• The company is based in South East London, but they travel to a wide variety of schools and prisons. In the past Synergy have worked in Stoke Newington, Villiers Mossbourne, Petchey Academy, Greycourt and Claremont schools, Bridge Academy, Islington and Camden PRis and Millwall FC Community Scheme, to name a few. Their focus here is to target people on the brink of offending. Synergy has some tremendous results, statistically showing: 
• A reduction in re-offending for approximately 75% of participants who work with the company.
• 75% of participants report increased skills, an impact on self esteem, attitudes and future motivations.
• 40% of those who work with the company go on to further education, training or employment.
• 30% of those who participate in Synergy Studio go onto further work with the company.
• Approximately  2,500 young people per year attend Synergy shows with 85% reporting an increased awareness of and being deterred from criminal activity. 
• 300 young people at risk per year participate in bespoke projects with 80% reporting a freater awareness of the impact of crime on themselves and their community.
• 70% of young people at risk demonstrate improvements in timekeeping, attendance and engagement with learning.
• Increased public awareness of issues surrounding criminal justice; audiences of approximately 3,500 per year attend Synergy's work with 80% attendance at post-show discussions.
• Therefore, it is safe to say that Synergy's work has an immense impact 

4) CHICKENSHED THEATRE: inclusive theatre which wants to enrich lives and change the world

Chickenshed Documentary

• Chickenshed Theatre is an inclusive theatre company which first began in 1974. Based at a purpose built venue in North London, it creates theatre for all ages and runs successful outreach projects, education courses and membership projects. The name 'Chicken Shed' derives from its origin in literally being based in a chicken shed. 
• They aim to create entertaining and thought provoking work, with performance at the heart of everything they do, using the stage to celebrate diversity and performance as a vehicle to tackle social issues. In particular, Chickenshed aim work at young people who aren't generally exposed to theatre, for young people of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and even moreso for young people who have been marginalised by society or educational systems. Their unique point is that they offer qualifications (Level 3, Foundation Degree and BA).
• Chickenshed's vision is to create inclusive theatre which breaks down barriers, creating a world without labels and differences that divide people. 
• Chickenshed hold weekly workshops for over 900 young people, providing a safe and rewarding environment where confidence can be gained and they have the chance to participate in productions. They have also established a network of partners that target children and young people in primary schools, young offender centres and special schools who would otherwise not be able to access their work. Their work then aims to educate young people about relevant social issues through the power of performance and participation in workshops.  
• Since 2000, they have established 19 branches in the UK and 2 in Russia.  Furthermore, in 2011 they launched a branch in Kensington and Chelsea with an aim to take their work to an area of London with great wealth disparity (50% of children in this borough attend private schools whereas 42% are part of low income families), hopefully giving more children and young people the chance to be included and valued, not segregated or rejected.
• Young Creators was a programme launched in 2013 which provides young people with access to training and practical work experience in a variety of theatre skills. Each year, up to 165 young people can benefit from the programme. 
• They are registered as a charity: the 'Chickenshed Theatre Trust', with the founders who have been awarded MBEs. 
• They have performed at the Queens Golden Jubilee (2002) and at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

5) AGE EXCHANGE: using creativity to unlock the future

• The mission of Age Exchange is to change lives through reminiscence arts, changing lives and wellbeing. 
• Their centre is in Blackheath which embodies many reminiscent art projects, being the home for a variety of community activities and services such as dance, knitting, art classes, belly dancing, seated Pilates and creative writing.
• It was formed in 1983 by Pam Schweitzer (MBE) for older and frail people in care services to prevent loneliness and isolation, building self confidence and self esteem. 
• They have produced groundbreaking work in dealing with dementia services. 
• Over the last fifteen years, Age Exchange has developed and expanded its work with the coressponding number of people who have found themselves as carers for older relatives. This has resulted in the 'Caring Together' service which provides weekly support to carers in South East London. With the trend of an aging population, they identified an incentive to support people living with dementia in the community and in care settings. Their reminisence arts invention (RADIQL) combines reminiscence techniques with a wide range of the arts,  and this has independent evidence of its immense impact on the wellbeing of people living with dementia.
• They also train various professionals in the community e.g libraries, care homes and museums in understanding specialist reminiscence training. 
• Inclusion is at the heart of what they do. They strive to be person centred, with the individual and their stories being the most important thing. 
• Their goals are; to reduce isolation and loneliness, to promote intergenerational understanding; to improve the quality of life and care for older people and those living with dementia and to support carers to maintain their own health and wellbeing. 
• Partners of Age Exchange include the Arts Society, the Big Lottery Fund, City Bridge Trust, Wandsworth Council, The Cabinet Office, the City of London and the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

6) GRAEAE THEATRE: the world's first deaf and disabled led theatre company

• Graeae Theatre is a force for change in world class theatre, which boldly places D/deaf and disabled actors centre stage with the aim to challenge preconceptions.
• Jenny Sealey is currently the Artistic Director. 
• It explores the 'aesthetics of access' throughout its process to creating theatre, creatively using a range of tools like audio description/sign language to be inclusive. 
• It explores new territory and genres from contemporary classics to musicals, to circus.
• It works to include D/deaf and disabled people in the arts through actor and writer training schemes, access support for creative and learning situations, empowering workshops and training programmes for young artists, led by inspiring role models and a range of training models for the creative sector e.g inclusive practice for deama schools and accessible marketing for theatre venues. 
• It was formed in 1980 by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson having met at college in Coventry creating productions that involved disabled people. Their joint vision was to challenge preconceptions and popular myths around disabled people, through theatre, workshops and training. 
• By May 1980, a company of disabled performers was established to perform the first ever Graeae play Sideshow. 
• Since then, Graeae have performed at the Paralympic Games. 
• The use of the term 'Graeae' derives from a Greek legend myth which inspires the ethos of working together and sharing resources. Graeae is pronounced grey-eye. 
• Access is fundamental to the entire practice of Graeae, therefore their creative space/building has been specially purpose built.

7) LONDON BUBBLE THEATRE: offering drama workshops, creative projects and volunteering opportunities for all ages

• The London Bubble was set up in 1972 by the Greater London Arts Association under Glen Walford, Peter Coe, Bob Carlton, Bob Eaton, Peter Rowe and Jonathan Petherbridge. Te London Bubble believes that it brings people together to create, participate in and enjoy theatre.
• Their mission statement is to provide the artistic direction, skills, environment and resources to create inspirational, inclusive, involving theatre. 
• They run a number of theatre groups based in Rotherhithe open to people aged six and over, giving weekly opportunities for a wide range of people to make theatre together, assisted by experienced theatre practitioners and other specialists.
• Inclusion is at the heart of what they do, and their facilities are hugely accessible. 
• Some groups that are run by the London Bubble include: 'The Tea Break Theatre' which includes having tea, cake and a chat, followed by a 'gentle' workshop to tell stories and share laughter. This group is free to attend and is welcoming/inclusive. 'The Rotherhithe Shed' is a partnership project between London Bubble and Time and Talents and aims to bring together older men and women to put their practical skills to good use, as well as 'Young Theatre Makers' which involves part time training for young people not in education or employment. 
• 1,500 people take part in their projects every year. 
• Since 2,000 the London Bubble has delivered 12 'open projects'. These open projects have involved people openly and let the artistic aspiration signal be 'open'. Some of these open projects have been outdoors, site specific, promenade, scripted, verbatim, devised but all with the idea that they have a company of performers aged between 7-70 to promote the idea of intergenerational work, something they believe is hugely important. This practice largely occurs in Southwark, running adult, children and young people's classes.
• London Bubble also runs a national primary school drama intervention which aims to support children with learning or communication barriers, ultimately improving their confidence and wellbeing. 
• In the 1970s, they wanted to target people who wouldn't normally have the access to the theatre, with an emphasis on the informality, fun, laughter, music and excitement with theatre. From 1972-83, it became a summer touring company. From 1983 it became more established, still touring, but also extended it's work throughout the year helping people developing their skills.

Exploring 'Theatre of the Oppressed'

'Theatre of the Oppressed': Exploring Augusto Boal 

In today's session, we explored Augusto Boal and some of his techniques, gaining an understanding of the impact that they can have.
Primarily, the first thing that we did in this session was creating our own definition of oppression. Mine was:
"The idea that someone is treated less equally by the higher establishment because of social factors like their social background, ethnicity, gender etc". 
Everyone had various different definitions. Technically, the google definition for oppression is:

Yet the discussion that came to light and that I thought about for a while is how subjective oppression is. So while that Google definition is the objective statement for what oppression is, the different types of systematic and subtle oppression are relative to different people and communities dependent on their situation and experiences. This was evoked by the difference in everyone's definition, although they all had the same gist. Similarly, everyone experiences different types of oppression based on their life experience and background so the experience of oppression to one person will never be the same to another's. This is why Boal's idea of forum theatre, for me, is so important because it allows lots of people from different backgrounds and with different experiences to come together, unite, and become 'spect-actors' also debating and bringing about a solution for social issues. This means that oppression is overall fought against through the integration of people who hold differences, and for me this is the importance of theatre.

'Unpacking the Meaning of Oppression' - a Ted Talk by Ayesha Haq

This TED Talk is very interesting since it comes from the viewpoint from someone who in today's day and age is extremely oppressed. It suggests the differences in how people view oppression, and the 'incomplete' differences of oppression. 

"As a black, gay woman I have to be selective in my outrage. So should you." - a Guardian article written by Ashley 'Dotty' Charles 

This article discusses how the extent to which we as a society are outraged by certain issues has been escalated by the use of social media and the media in general, which has almost made us desensitised to cases of genuine oppression. This accentuates the need for theatre to be active in discussing raw forms of oppression. This article is also relevant to this discussion though because it discusses the different layers of subjectivity in how people view oppression: some people might be more outraged by animal battery farming over #BlackLivesMatter. 

Hence, on this topic, in class we used some of Boal's techniques to get an insight into how he united communities in Brazil to fight against oppression and inequality, using the basis of 'what is oppression?' as a starting point. 

1) COLUMBIAN HYPNOSIS

Columbian Hypnosis is an exercise that gave me an insight into the oppressed VS the oppresser, and the relationship the two might have.

The columbian hypnosis was a technique developed by Boal and involves groups dividing into two pairs, one choosing A and the other choosing B. A hypnotises B with their hand and B must keep their face just a few inches from A's hand at all times - always an equal distance. A should try to manipulate B into all sorts of positions using forgotten muscles to use their body in a different way. A and B swap around. 

Initially, I did this with Monique and it felt incredibly strange, and also made me and the rest og the group ponder the different feelings on either side of the spectrum: the oppresser and the oppressed. It was interesting to see how everyone had different feelings regarding the two different positions, which echoes the idea of subjectivity when it comes to oppression. Personally, I really enjoyed being the oppresser who hypnotises the other person. It felt quite easy and it sort of put me on a high of feeling incredibly powerful. As a result, I got more cheeky throughout the exercise since the more power I gained, the more power hungry I got so my partner was being more manipulated by more crazy positions. On the flip side, being hypnotised was quite frustrating. I felt this incessant need to really commit to the exercise despite the fact that I felt I was being worked out quite a bit and felt really tired. After a while however, I found it a lot easier, and felt myself throwing myself into it more, almost as though I eased into the position of being the oppressed and following someone else's command. It evoked the idea of being a cog in a machine to me. When you're oppressed, you're powerless and can often just ease into the situation you're in under the power of someone else, feeling disassociated and passive. It didn't take much to almost switch off.

 

Furthermore, the next step of the exercise involved the whole group in which an entire group moves around the group, hypnotised, all connected to one central oppresser or hypnotiser.  That one person moves around slowly and the group follow. This segment was so much more frustrating, probably down to the fact that I was one of the people with lower status during the exercise and was on the outside and as a result I felt I had to work a lot harder than those in the middle. For example, if the central hypnotiser made one slight movement, the whole group would have to move and run around to ensure that the rules of the exercise were being followed. This was a lot more strenuous and evoked feelings of being tired and fed up for me. To me, this echoes the idea of how much the people in society have on those who have power - the reliance they have on the state to dictate their lives, and how passive this can make them, as well as the idea that the smallest change from the top can have immense ripple effects on the people in the bottom of the social structure, sometimes to the ignorance of those at the top living in their own bubble.
This exercise was incredibly helpful in exploring the idea of oppression and the various connotations of that and it is so understandable to me that Boal used this technique in communities and as part of 'Theatre of the Oppressed'.

2) FORUM THEATRE

The next aspect of Boal's ideas that we explored was forum theatre. Forum theatre was developed in Latin America as a means to tackle the overriding problems affecting the lives of ordinary people, provoking discussion and debate.

In correlation with the idea of 'oppression', as a group we were asked to visually demonstrate a depiction of oppression using just chairs that were in the room as individuals. Although I didn't have a go, I found other people's images quite frustrating since they were very different to my idea of what I would visually represent, exemplifying the idea of subjectivity around this idea. What was useful about this exercise is because of the differences' in the group, it provoked a lot of discussion and debate which served the purpose of forum theatre, although we never came to a finalised consensus on one right image. Perhaps that is because there is no one right image when it comes to people's ideas of oppression: everyone will always have a different idea dependent on their life experience.
In the next stage of this exercise exploring Boal, we got into groups and created visual tableaus that we believed represented the definition of one type of oppression. For example, my group decided to represent 'sexism' in a visual tableau. We had to take turns to be the sculpters of the image, and this meant that as each of us were swapped out to form and change the image, it naturally evolved and became something very different (through subtle changes) than what it was when the sculpting begun.
The image I tried to represent of sexism, since I was the first sculpter in my group,  was shown through physical barriers imposed by females onto females, and then males onto the females. I wanted to represent the social structures in society that means that patriarchy is maintained, and this often involves the oppression of women imposed by other women in higher positions, who are overall oppressed by males who impose patriarchy. However, since I hadn't discussed this with my group, it was interesting how this strong image almost changed after because everyone had varying definitions and experiences of the word 'sexism'. While this was frustrating, it allowed me to be very open minded towards everyone's experiences, and in a way this justified the merit of forum theatre since you find commonality with those around you.  Nevertheless, sculpting felt really liberating to me since I felt I could visually represent something I felt passionate about.

Augusto Boal

WHO IS AUGUSTO BOAL AND WHY IS HE IMPORTANT TO OUR PRACTICE? 

"Observing itself, the human being perceives what it is, discovers what it is not and imagines what it could become. It perceives where it is and where it is not, and imagines where it could go". 
-Augusto Boal 

BIOGRAPHY: 

Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director and dramatist who lived from the 16th of March 1931 to the 2nd May 2009 who is integral to the development of a lot of theatrical techniques and ideas in the landscape today, for example the ideas of 'forum theatre', 'invisible theatre' and 'legislative theatre'. He is best known for his 1974 book 'Theatre of the Oppressed' which put across ideas on how to create a theatre led revolution, challenging authority and the injustices in society. 

"When I read a story and did not like it, I would rewrite it" - Augusto Boal, 2001:89 - Theatre of the Oppressed

Boal was born and grew up in Rio de Janeiro (an area of great wealth disparity which may have informed his work) to his wealthy parents Jose and Albertina Boal who were both Portuguese. His father was exiled from his home country in 1914 after not supporting Portugal in WW1.  Boal had a happy childhood, where he already exercised an interest in theatre and performed in his dining room with his siblings and cousins. 

Initially, Augusto Boal grew up as a industrial chemist graduating in 1952 and then going on to research at the Columbia University in New York. In the US, Boal studied drama as well as chemical engineering, making links with the Arena Theatre in São Paulo, becoming its director in 1956-1971. He ran writers'/actors' workshops but having quickly become influenced by the revolutionary surge of the 1960s, he took agitprops shows into the countryside where the audience would decide the subject matter of the play. Here Boal began to develop his techniques. 

However, Boal's agitprop group was forced to back own when a peasant in the audience suggested that the group staged an armed raid on a local landlord. Nevertheless, Boal used this in his notion to learn from the people and thus developed the 'Theatre of the Oppressed', where audience members were asked for alternative endings to plays about oppressions, evolving to plays that included audience participation to satisfy the needs of audience members.

By 1971,  Boal's group came to the notice of Brazil's military junta. He had worked throughout Brazil trying to provoke and inspire the people living in the slums to rise up against inequality and injustice. He was captured and tortured for three months. He later reinacted the trauma of this as street theatre. 

A quote from Boal that echoes this is: "I always did a kind of theatre that is upsetting to the poower when the power is not democratic". (SOURCE: Guardian article) Following this, Boal was exiled to Argentina where he continued to practice and develop his ideas. Notably, a new form of theatre called 'image theatre' was created by Boal in 1973 in Peru, which aimed to use physical theatre over the spoken word. 

The book 'The Theatre of Oppressed' published in 1974 argued the weaknesses of mainstream theatre which reinforced social boundaries and measures that sedated the audience, as well as the power of the theatre in turning the oppressed into 'revolutionaries'. Based on the teachings of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and philosopher, Boal's ideas wanted to challenge the passive spectator, inviting audiences on stage to act out their issues, becoming 'spect-actors' and giving them the opportunity to find solutions to the problems and invite personal and social change.  This became known as 'forum theatre' where audience members replaced the protagonist. The key to this theatre was participation, which challenged the notions of mainstream theatre. 

TOTO became translated into 25 languages and his techniques were adapted into places as diverse as Estonia, India, Puerto Rico and Sweden. 

"At some stage we are told we are too old to play and act, we must become spectators. But we should not be spectators in the theatre, even less in our lives. We should be actors. In the Theatre of the Oppressed, we don't have spectators in the sense that you go there and consume something. We have what we call 'spectactors'".  - Augusto Boal on his ideology

In 1976, Boal settled in Lisbon, becoming a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1978 where his radical ideology was taught. He set up a TOTO centre and organised international TOTO festivals from 1981-1985.  In Europe, Boal became more interested in how subjective oppression can be to each person's experience. With his wife Cecilia Boal, who happened to be a psychoanalyst, he began workshops in Paris to tackle what he addressed as 'the cop in the head'. In 1986, Boal returned to Rio de Janeiro after the fall of the Brazilian military junta. Here he set up a massive TOTO centre and formed more than a dozen companies to develop community based performance. Invisible theatre was experimented with, where shows are put on in public spaces and the audiences are unaware of it. This would stimulate debate among the viewers and spectators, creating solutions to the problems. Cultural theatre was also used, where members from one ethnic group would perform a play from a culture antagonist to their own, for example Palestinians putting on a Jewish play.

In the 90s, Boal became a member of Rio de Janeiro's city council, and turned techniques and his ideology into new popular laws, known as legislative theatre.

"Unlike the dogmatic political theatre of the 1960s, which told people what to do, we now ask them what they want" - Boal on legislative theatre

More books were published such as 'Games for Actors and Non Actors' in 1989, The Rainbow of Desire in 1995 and a book on 'Legislative Theatre; in 1998. An autobiography called 'Hamlet and the Baker's Son' was published in 2001. He has been awarded countless awards, icnluding the Pablo Picasso medal. In London, Boal did a lot of work with a company called 'Cardboard Citizens', a homeless people's theatre company,  as well as working with the RSC. The RSC asked Boal to employ his Rainbow of Desire methodology on their production of Hamlet. He worked on numerous projects until his death of deteriorating leukemia at age 78.

"I believe in democracy, not phony democracy". - Augusto Boal 

WHY IS BOAL IMPORTANT TO OUR PRACTICE? 

After having conducted research on Augusto Boal and his everpresent legacy, I feel so inspired and refreshed on what theatre should be and what myself as an artist should strive towards. As someone who is quite politically minded, I have always believed that theatre should be a force for change that calls out the injustice in society and opens peoples' minds, making them feel a need to change things. The work of Boal has made me believe this convinction even moreso, and it's so incredible to see how much he went through in his life which only drove his art form more. His legacy seems to be so relevant today in a time when injustice and craziness seems to be all around us, and theatre should be one of the ways that we seek to represent the wrong in society and equally inspire ourselves and those around us to change it. I was particularly taken aback by the idea of legislative theatre. It's quite surreal that Boal used the practice of theatre to implement law, and that only accentuates the power of theatre further.

Boal is so important to our practice because he was intertwined in everything we do. Not only do so many drama games derive from his methodology, but a lot of the theatre we see and create is driven from Boal's principles and ideas. His legacy is something I truly think should carry on forever, and I hope it does.  I personally believe that all theatre should challenge society like Boal's work did, and this is something that as creatives and actors we should work to honour in our projects.

SOME INTERESTING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING ARTICLES ON BOAL: 

• A Guardian article from 2002 which includes an interview with Boal, something I have sourced quotes from. 
• 'Unlocking the door to change' -  what is drama therapy and how it links to Augusto Boal/community work 
• Drama out of crisis; how theatre and improv teach lessons in sexual consent - the relevance of Boal's ideas in the theatrical landscape today 

SOME VIDEOS ON BOAL AND HIS INFLUENCE:

• Short documentary on Augusto Boal's life 

• An example TED Talks forum theatre performance - this accentuates the impact Boal has had on modern theatre. 

• A talk by Augusto Boal on Forum Theatre at Harvard.  

• Augusto Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed exercised in Rio de Janeiro 

OTHER SOURCES:

• Obituary of Boal's life - The Guardian 

How would you use theatre to create change?

THEATRE IS A FORCE FOR CHANGE. HOW WOULD I USE THEATRE TO CREATE CHANGE? 

"It is forbidden to walk on the grass. It is not forbidden to fly over the grass" - Augusto Boal

It has gotten to a point as a result of the last couple of years that I feel continually disassociated from politics and what's going on in the news and media. It seems as though we are shifting in the Western world towards a more oppressive alt-right stance which has made me even more emotionally stunted and confused about the world we're living in.  It doesn't give me lots of hope as a young person growing up in this world.

Nevertheless, theatre has and always will be the exception of this feeling. I feel that no matter how disconnected I become as an individual when news articles flash up on my phone, or when I see newspaper headlines on newspapers on the tube, theatre always connects to me like nothing else. As a deviser, I can feed all of my passion, energy and anger into projects that make me feel like I'm contributing my thoughts about the evolving world. As an audience member of theatre, seeing things on stage or even in film can affect me completely. I got this recently when I saw 'The Jungle' performed at the Playhouse Theatre. That play broke down so many barriers, challenged so many notions in society and increased my own personal awareness of the Syrian refugee crisis that made me speechless by the end.  

Overall, I feel as an individual no matter what happens theatre is something I will always cherish as a tool for change, and thus there is so much I would do with theatre if I had the means and power and time to implement change. After researching a bit into Augusto Boal, I feel as though the extent at which theatre can contribute towards real and viable change has opened my mind even further, and therefore, here is a list of how I would use theatre to create change:

1) HIGHLIGHT TO THE CLOSE MINDED GOVERNMENT THE EXPERIENCES OF THE WORKING CLASS AND MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES WITHIN BRITAIN and hence how they are being failed, and helping to represent and empower those communities in feeling like they have a voice and are being heard. 

2) USING THEATRE AS A WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL AND IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES PROMOTING UNITY AND UNDERSTANDING OVER IGNORANCE AND ALIENATION  - theatre evokes empathy and understanding through a dedicated and three dimensional understanding and representation of people and their stories, and this can be used to break down division and barriers.

3) USING THEATRE AS A WAY TO REFLECT ON THE PREVALENCE OF THE PAST ON TODAY AND HOW FAR WE HAVE CHANGED AS A SOCIETY AND HOW FAR YET WE HAVE TO GO (I am an avid lover of History and some of the major historical events that are unravelling today are all a direct result of history. I believe history is a great tool to learn from which can be represented in theatre by explaining the ways we can change and evolve as a society.

4) UNITE COMMUNITIES TO FIGHT AGAINST OPPRESSION - this overall is a summary of my first 3 points, but I believe that this will be the final point if all of these things are achieved since they are all inherently linked. 

What is Community Theatre?

WHAT IS APPLIED THEATRE?

Applied theatre are forms of dramatic activity that primarily exist outside conventional mainstream theatre institutions and which are specifically intended to benefit individuals, communities and societies. In theory, it is an umbrella term that stretches beyond the conventions of Western theatre. 

Specifically, community theatre branches off the umbrella term of 'applied theatre', referred to as theatre that is made by and is intended for members of a community. e.g theatre in prisons, building empathy, heritage theatre where people can embrace their identity, theatre in schools to teach lessons. 

SOURCE: performing impact: what is community theatre?

In my opinion, since theatre is truly universal, community theatre is such a strong force to create change and theatre should primarily be created with the motivation to create change in society. Community theatre is enlightening since it creates unity and bonds with people. Forum theatre, developed by Augusto Boal, is an amazing tool in this sense since people get to debate social issues and come to a resolution. The important aspect is the sense of unity and teamwork prevalent in this discussion. Hence, community theatre is of such a grand importance because it can have such an immense impact on someone's life, whether this is helping them to step out of their social shell, to build up empathy or to express their passion for things they feel are wrong and causing injustice within society.

Here are some interesting and thought provoking articles I found concerning community theatre and its relevance/power in the shifting British theatrical landscape:  

Community theatre might not be glamourous, but it changes lives - Lyn Gardner

This article massively challenges the perception of what an actor/creator/artist has to be, and how impactful the art you create is on people, for example young people who may have never experienced theatre before. I think this is hugely important - who you are creating for should be integral to the evolution of the work you present. 

Time we stopped patronising community theatre - The Guardian 

Similarly, this article discusses where community theatre sits within the vast and diverse landscape of theatre and the various genres and styles that are direct connotations of that. Community theatre is clearly different due to its great emphasis on the inclusion of people from the community, and this can often lead to a longer process. But how is community theatre seen by critics and general audiences as such a niche in a vast everchanging pool of theatre? It's a really interesting read. 

Staging a revolution: can theatre be an effective form of activism? The Guardian

This article is moreso about the reasons why we create theatre, and how far theatre can bring about change. It resonated with me since it massively reminded me of the passion I possess for theatre being a vital tool to change perceptions, comment on society and challenge issues and preconceptions. A lot of the ideas in this article go hand in hand with the theories of community theatre. 

Why every artist should be a community artist - The Guardian 

Theatre must look beyond their regular audiences and to society itself - The Guardian

Now is the time for community theatre to steal the show - The Guardian 

Community Theatre at The BRIT School    

This is a project I am hugely excited for, since it reminds me of why I love theatre - the prospect of how significant it is in reflecting society, challenging society and therefore how capable it is of creating a significant change. The things I want to achieve in this project consist of primarily developing my skillset - I am so excited to work further in a field that I have only slightly delved into with Unit 8 Children's Theatre in  Year 10, and expand my skillset as an artist, actor and deviser within the craft of community theatre. I find community projects so incredibly inspiring, and being involved in one is something that I think will undoubtedly be rewarding as well as so special for the people that is engages with. 

Augusto Boal is a practitioner that from the brief I understand that I will be working from and inspired from a lot when studying and exploring community theatre, since he was influenced a lot of the work that takes place centred in communities as well as being hugely influential on a wider scale through general theatrical practices such as games and exercises. 

Here is a link from his book, 'Games for Actors and Non Actors' which contains a range of games and exercises that can be played with anyone and as a result can affect anyone, so important for working in  the community. It also has Boal's ideas and methodology throughout it. I am so confident that I will be returning to this book continually throughout the unit.

"Theatre is a form of knowledge. It should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it"  - Augusto Boal 

What this quote means to me is the suggestion of how powerful and visceral theatre is, especially in the means of transforming society. This can be through education and building empathy, representing different people's stories and reflecting on injustice in society.  Augusto Boal's vision of theatre is something I can hugely relate to.