Introduction

“Everyone can do theatre - even actors. And theatre can be done everywhere, even inside theatres”

Through a desire to bring about change under an oppressive regime, Boal arguably created some of the most radical yet accessible theatre techniques of the past 100 years. After experimenting with agit-prop (propaganda) theatre, he drew upon fellow Brazilian Paolo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed to create theatre with, rather than for audiences. Central to the philosophy of TO is the concept that the audience know as much as the performers, and have just as much right to express their beliefs. Boal’s theories and their highly practical applications are used every day by theatre companies, children, students and the homeless, for political change, for education and therapy in schools, theatres and on the streets.