Augusto Pinto Boal was one of the world leading theatre practitioners and inventor of a whole school of theatre called 'Theatre of the Oppressed'. He was born in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on 17th of March 1931, when his country was ruled by a dictatorial military regime. Since his youth, Boal felt a great passion for theatre, and despite his degree in engineering, in 1952 he enroled himself in a drama school in New York (from '50s and the early '60s of the last century), where he met Constantin Stanislavski and had the opportunity to know new theatrical methods. In the while, in São Paulo (Brazil) was founded the ' Arena Theatre', with the purpose to become a strong symbol of nationalism and conservatism of the Brazilian theatrical tradition. In 1956, Boal returned in his native country and became the director of the 'Arena Theatre' which, under Boal's leadership, experienced a new theatrical journey, and saw a radical evolution of its own values, conceiving the theatre as a tool for social transformation, allowing also its collaboration with the National Union of Popular Culture Centre Students (CPC di UNE). …show more content…
In 1960 Augusto Boal debuted as playwright with one of his works titled 'Revolução na America do Sul', to which followed a great success and the need to move away from the official theatre.
Since that moment, all dramas presented at the Arena Theatre were highlighted for the relational dynamics and the power achievable on the scene. It that context Boal's claimed the idea that the classics were able to communicate only if they were revisited and contextualized into present. Boal devoted also a special attention to actors' training and created new drama courses, with the aim to redefine the social role of both, theatre and
actors. In this way, Boal had the ability to change the way to perform, and his new current of thought put on the stage the first forms of introspection, as he believed that : “ We must all do theatre – to find out who we are, and to discover who we could become.” (Aesthetics of the Oppressed, 2006). Consequently, Boal made of the theatre an extraordinary tool for transforming the 'monologue' of the traditional performance into a 'dialogue' between audience and stage, assuming that the dialogue represented a common, healthy dynamic between all humans and that all human beings desire and are able to dialogue. In fact, according to Boal, only when a dialogue becomes a monologue, people is able to give space to the oppression. Obviously, during the three decades of the military dictatorship in Brazil, Boal's work encountered severe difficulties, and consequently it became increasingly difficult to escape from the censure and promote shows that were perceived politically dangerous and inconvenience for the Brazilian regime. But despite these obstacles, Boal was able to work and create a new theatrical project, in which he introduced the music as a new element of the scenario, experiencing also the "joker system”, and inspiring in this way the development and the maintenance of the 'Theatre Forum' method.
Early Life Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was born in Salamanca, Spain, around 1510. His parents are Juan Vasquez de Coronado y Sosa de Ulloa and Isabel de Lujan. His father was a wealthy aristocrat, but the family fortune was promised to his older brother. Francisco was determined to make his own fortune in the New World. This is what made him an explorer.
Valle-Inclán and Lorca have both been very influential and important figures of the twentieth century Spanish theatre. During their time, the theatre was mainly made up of bourgeois theatregoers who did not enjoy thought provoking plays, but preferred a theatre that was conventional and contemporary. Both Valle and Lorca departed from convention and showed freedom in their style of writing, therefore earning their reputation of dramatists of utmost importance, respect and originality, who not only brought new trends to the Spanish theatre, but also embodied the signs of change and hope for the Spanish stage.
Guadagnini. W. 2009. The Visionary and Silent Theatre of Roger Ballen [Online]. Available: http://www.rogerballen.com/articles/the-visionary-and-silent-theatre-of-roger-ballen [2014, Feb. 16]
Epic theatre developed in the 1920’s in Germany. German theatre director Erwin Piscator first introduced epic theatre in 1924 after World War I. After two years, Brecht perfected epic theatre. This theatre style was influenced by the horror and suffering of the middle class and lower clas...
One solution is to approach an actor at the beginning of their training, and see where knowledge of "commedia dell'arte" and its performance can expand a performer's range. The contemporary young actor's most familiar performance role model is that of televisi...
The changes in technology gave lighting to the theatres. The change in theatre brought around a new group of audiences. Its change from Neoclassicism to Romanticism paved the way for plays such as Hernani. It’s understandable that nineteenth century theatre has changed dramatically.
Societies progress can lead to intercultural similarities, and vastily obvious differences. These influences can be seen within the contemporary theatre of the times, explaining and progressing the status of community through storytelling and performance. The reactions to these changes are important, and help shape the society we have today. These elements are best seen between the medieval ans renaissance period.
In the first chapter Esslin deems all common definitions of drama as lacking and insufficient since they overlook dramatic genres that are not staged. He thus draws heavily on those who regard live theatre as the only true form of drama. And yet Esslin does not state his own definition. He instead declares that drama should not have ...
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.
Worthen, William B. Modern Drama and the Rhetoric of Theater. Berkeley: U of California P, 1992.
“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”
For as long as humankind exists, theatre will always take on an important function within its cultures. Through theatre, a culture expresses itself, reflects its society, and displays its individuality. It invites people to experience other cultures.
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.