Reading List

Books about (or adjacent to) our work with Theatre of the Oppressed

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal

Games for Actors and Non-Actors by Augusto Boal

Rainbow of Desire by Augusto Boal

Legislative Theatre by Augusto Boal

Playing Boal: Theatre, Therapy, Activism by Mady Schutzman and Jan Cohen-Cruz

Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-based Dialogue by David Diamond

Improvising Real Life: Personal Story in Playback Theatre by Jo Salas

*book on Playback Theatre process and benefits 

Zoomy Zoomy: Improv Games and Exercises for Groups by Hannah Fox

Acts of Service: Spontaneity, Commitment, Tradition in the Non-Scripted Theatre by Jonathan Fox

Theatre for Community, Conflict, & Dialogue by Michael Rohd

The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau

*exercises for groups of actors, in ensemble

Coming Back to Life by Joanna Macy and Molly Brown

*exercises to connect and cope with grief, fear, courage, and hope 

The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Von Der Kolk

Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown 

Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown

The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller

*contains rituals for individual and group grieving

My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem

*about generational, inherited racial trauma in the bodies of Black people, White people, and Cops

Ethnoautobiography by Jürgen Werner Kremer & R Jackson-Paton

*workbook with exercises and reflections for White/European ancestry folk on how to reclaim ancestry in an informed way, and cease appropriating cultures and spiritualities of others

The Great Derangement by Amitav Ghosh

*how humans are dealing psychologically with the scale of our current climate catastrophe 

Summary of Week 5

Theatre of the Oppressed: Week 5 -- Cop in the Head

October 26th 2019

Welcome and Hello
Stretch and Body Check-InNames and Pronouns

Ice Breaker: "Two by Three by Bradford" 
(Games for Actors and Non-Actors by Augusto Boal pg 106)
In groups of two, both people try to trade off counting to three as quickly as possible; once that has played out, person 1 replaces the number one with a sound and gesture of their choosing, now the duo counts to three, trading off, but with the new sound and gesture instead of the number; then person 2 creates a sound and gesture for the number 2, which then replaces that number in the count off; then person 1 picks the final sound and image for the number 3 -- the count off continues but now entirely consisting of made-up sounds and gestures, moving as quickly as the duo is able to go!

Exercise: Balancing the Space (inspired by exercises in Viewpoints by Anne Bogart)

• Everyone walks through the room, utilizing soft focus; maintain awareness of where other bodies and objects are in the room as well as where there are bodies and where there is negative space; avoiding walking clockwise and instead walk in spirals covering as much of the space as possible; practice using the back-space to sense what is happening behind the body
• Practice stopping and starting again as a group, no verbal communication
• Practice matching pace
• Practice making a strong, still "offer" to construct an image from; the rest of the group follows suit adding to the image; practicing holding then releasing the image as as group
• Variation: "Space Series" (Games for Actors and Non-Actors pg 127) if the facilitator says a number and a body part, all participants must create an image using that body part and with that number of people in each small group (ex. "five, elbows")

Dueling Images (Games for Actors and Non-Actors)

Using different prompts and themes, people in small groups have 3-5 seconds after hearing a given prompt to create a still image based on that prompt. While that group creates their image, the other groups stand and observe. Each group makes an image in quick succession of the others, using the same or different prompts.

Group Image (Games for Actors and Non-Actors)

Coming back to our first weeks together, we use a theme to create an image all together. One participant makes the initial offer, and the others follow suit contributing to one whole image.

Group Agreements Check-In//Break 1:00-1:05

Group Check-In

Here, we checked in with the group about how to use our last 90 minutes; whether we wanted to continue to explore Forum Theater from last week, or whether we wanted to briefly explore Rainbow of Desire or Cop-in-the-Head, or something else. The group chose to explore Cop-in-the-Head for the remainder of class.

Cop-in-the-Head (Rainbow of Desire by August Boal pg 136)

Guided Meditation

Everyone finds a place in the room to sit and reflect or walk and reflect; we remember a time that we were oppressed or watched an oppression take place without intervening. We remember the event in great sensory details. Then we imagine the following:

• 3 separate sensations
• 3 parts of the body where these three separate sensation live or originate from
• The qualities of each of the three sensations (e.g. burning, pulling, pushing, choking, etc)
• The voice of each of the sensation as if they were talking directly to us (e.g. "You can't do this" "You don't belong here," etc)

Side-Exercise: Siren's Song (Games for Actors and Non-Actors pg. 125)

Find the sound that corresponds to the sensation(s) just imaged from the meditation. On an exhale, eyes closed, release the sound. Facilitator taps one or two people with very different sounds, the rest of the group finds their way to the noise that best captures the noise they also created or the noise they relate the most to; eyes remain closed until groups are found. Typically, this is followed by a debrief period where those in the same group share their stories to the collective. 

Cop-in-the-Head Exercise

In fishbowl formation, one person volunteers by standing in the middle of the circle. They explain the sensation by naming the part of the body, the quality of the sensation, and (if the sensation had a voice) what it would say to them. Volunteer then assigns a different person to be each of those voices. The volunteers positions the actors around and on their body, having them perform the sensations on their person in a physicalized way (e.g. a pulling down in the stomach, hands over the mouth, arms tied, etc); The volunteer then attempts to break free of and/or silence the voices. 

Cop-in-the-Head Reflection

Volunteer may choose to try this several times utilizing different tactics; as always, the object is never to "win" at this "game" by doing anything impressive or completely successful; 

- for the volunteer, it is about feeling the same sensations in a moment outside of immanent danger and rehearsing new ways of dealing with fear, self-doubt, etc; 

- for the observers, we are training ourselves to be close listeners and observers. How did the volunteer's breathing and body language inform us of what might be going on? What does their tactic remind us of? In what ways was the tactic successful? In what ways did the different tactics change what happened? What did the tactic bring up for us in our own bodies as observers? What did we learn from the experience of the person doing the exercise? 

Closing Exercise: Find the Hand (Games for Actors and Non-Actors pg 125)

In groups of two, with eyes closed, both partners take several minutes to feel and explore each others hands, taking time to memorize as many details about their partners hands as possible; after several minutes of this, the facilitator breaks apart the pairs so that all are separated across the room from one another; then, eyes still closed, the separated partners attempt to find one another; as they take hands with new people, they give a squeeze before breaking away to acknowledge that they have not yet found their partner pair; when a pair find their partner both people can open their eyes and stand to the outside of the circle to help the facilitator redirect people inwards towards the remaining participants. 

Game is complete when the last two people find one another.

Closing Circle & Claps

Summary of Week 4

Theatre of the Oppressed: Week 4 -- Forum Theatre

October 19th, 2019

Welcome and Hello
Stretch and Body Check-In

Exercise: Balancing the Space (inspired by Viewpoints by Anne Bogart)

• Everyone walks through the room, utilizing soft focus; maintain awareness of where other bodies and objects are in the room as well as where there are bodies and where there is negative space; avoiding walking clockwise and instead walk in spirals covering as much of the space as possible
• Practice stopping and starting again as a group, no verbal communication
• Practice matching pace, then speeding up and slowing down as a group
• Practice making a strong, still "offer" to construct an image from; the rest of the group follows suit adding to the image; practicing holding then releasing the image as as group

Friend & Enemy 

As we balance the space, choose one person who is "friend" and one person who is "enemy." Don't tell anyone, keep this information to oneself. We facilitator says "go!" try and get as close as possible to the "friend" while staying as far away as possible from "enemy." Variation: Placing oneself between the friend and enemy!

Variation: "Systems Game" pg 140 of Coming Back to Life by Joanna Macy and Molly Brown

Group Additions to the Group Agreements
- Step Up/Step Up
- Use "I" Statements

Introductions with Names and Pronouns

Consent Game
This time adding "Maybe" along with "No" and "Yes"

Break from 1:00 - 1:05pm

Forum Theatre
Important Aspects

• Show the Problem
• Don't Solve the Problem
• Don't Empower the Protagonist (that's what the Forum will be for)
• Ask the Question; Don't Answer the Question
• What is/are the question(s) my play is asking?
• (e.g. "How can ~I~ keep my power in this situation?" or, more specific, "What do ~I~ do when I'm publicly harassed?")
• Who is/are the protagonist(s)?
• Who is the Oppressed? Oppressor? Bystander? Ally (whether effective or ineffective)?
• Who will I allow folx to tag in for? (Never the Oppressor -- not helpful!)
• Do I have parameters for tagging in?
• What style is your play?
• (e.g. Realism, Symbolism, Allegory, Mime, Musical, etc)
• Make sure the issue is real, vital, and engaging -- with one or more conflicts shown (aka "entry points) to Forum
• Keep it physicalized!
• Try to steer away from standing-and-talking plays
• Theatrical elements are great -- props, costume pieces, music, etc

Process

We divided into two groups of 4 and picked an issue as a group that all members agreed carried relevance and heat for the group to explore.

Each group had 30 minutes to construct a roughly one-minute Forum play speaking to a specific aspect of the issue they discussed.

Each group showed their play to the rest of the cohort. All participants decide which play to Forum first.

We then had 20 minutes to Forum one of the two plays we watched. After new people jump in to showcase new tactics within the context of the play, we discuss what we saw and what we noticed

• How did this change the course of the play?
• How did other performers react or not react?
• How did it feel to see that performed? To perform it?

Closing
Eye Contact & Three Claps

Summary of Week 3

Theatre of the Oppressed -- Week 3: Introducing Dialogue 

Opening Discussion

• Brief stretch and body scan
• Seated discussion of last week's homework and what came up
• Some themes from the discussion:
• Pace of our lives in global industrial capitalism; importance of rest
• Reimagining work, human capacity, and labor
• Home -- the complications inherent in the word
• You-get-what-you-give component to creating a home/sustainability
• Staying accountable to personal hopes and goals around consumption by making changes with coworkers/at the office
• Some reading that came up:
• The nap ministry -- Tricia Hersey's work creating somatic workshops and public installations and explore the revolutionary power and importance of resting: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Thenapministry/about/?ref=page_internal
• Plenitude by Julia Shore
• The Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy 
• Emergenet Strategy and Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown

Exercise: "The Milling" (from Coming Back to Life by Joanna Macy & Molly Brown, pg 110)

• Stage 1 -- Fast Pace Movement: Everyone and everything is an obstacle to you, time is money, you are very important, this is global fucking industrial capitalism, go, go, go!! 
• Stage 2 -- Return to Walking Pace: Soft focus and awareness, "oh, wow, I'm not alone"; we make eye contact with and acknowledge those we pass by
• Stage 3 -- Find someone and hold their right hand in yours:
• This person is alive at the same time as you and has chosen to be here today, the same as you. They looked at what’s happening in the world and made a decision to be part of this moment in this room with these people. Notice how you feel that they made that choice and now acknowledge this meeting however you wish and take your leave of one another.
• Stage 3 -- Find a new someone and hold their right hand in yours: 
• this person knows what’s going on in the world and hasn’t closed their eyes to it. They haven’t turned away, like you they are bravely looking for answers and creative solutions. Take a moment to imagine and honor their strengths. Honor their courage.
• Stage 4 -- Find a new someone and hold your open palms to theirs, around shoulder height, eyes closed: 
• Feel their presence near. This person, like you, inhabits a fragile and finite human body, vulnerable to violence, to man-constructed poison in the air and water, susceptible to disease triggered by pollution, but these common dangers didn't isolate us today. They can bond us to one another in mutual decisiveness. Look back in their face, allow yourself to feel the openness of the very real possibility that this person is going to play an important role in the project of creating the future of our world.

Image Creation: "Home"

• In a circle once again, eyes closed, we create an image with just our bodies inspired by the word "home." We open our eyes and see how our image compares with everyone's around us.

Image Theatre: Introducing Dialogue/Intro to Forum Theatre 

The following is a process of naming personal experience and performing it for the person who did the telling. 

This will get us comfortable expressing a scene with dialogue, preparing us for Forum Theatre going forward. 

This technique below (of sharing, clarifying, and performing the exact experience) is a technique I learned from a process called Playback Theatre. I can share more about Playback in the future if folks are interested.

• Guided Meditation: a time when you were with an intimate group (work, friend group, family) where there is a mix of comfortability and triggers. An act of oppression occurs either concerning you or someone you know or care about (so you, the imaginer, are either the Bystander or Target in your story). 
• Imagine at least these three people who you can feature in this story: Who is the Target (of oppression), who is the Agent (of oppression), who is the Bystander?
• One volunteer tells the whole group their story, from its start to its natural finish, giving us as many details as possible. After the person finishes, the group who will perform this asks clarifying questions (e.g. “Who said what, and at what time,” “What relationship to you does this person have,” “In who’s home did this take place” and any other details that the group thinks would be helpful in offering an accurate portrayal.)
• The person who shared forms an image from the story, selecting who in the group they would like to play specific roles. After the image is constructed, the sharer adds themselves in the image as themselves.
•  The remaining group discusses the image
•  The sharer creates a second image, from later in the story (or earlier in the story; this step can happen several times)
• The remaining group discusses the image, including notable changes
• The sharer and the selected actors engage in an improvised conversation, given the context clues the sharer offered during the story; the remainder of the group witnesses a version of what happened.
• The two involved in the improv (the sharer and the selected) debrief the experience; e.g. what came up for them as the actors?
• The group then also responds to the improvisation
• Intro to Forum: A different group member steps in as the Protagonist (the Target of oppression) and offers another tactic for this specific moment; a new improvisation unfolds that comes to a natural finishing point
• Both the original sharer and other group members debrief this tactic and this version of the improvisation; what changed? What new tactic was offered? Did it change how the narrative unfolded? Who's actions did it affect? In what contexts does and doesn’t this work? What comes up in the body for us during this improvisation as onlookers, and as those involved?

Closing

• Circle up, breath with hands held and eyes closed, then our claps