21 

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Circle up students

Class of 21 needs to count to 21 with each student saying a number, not saying it at the same time as someone else (or you start from the beginning).

Repeat with student’s eyes closed. 

Invasion of the Brain

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Students walk around the space. 

Students should walk without bunching up and with dividing space between them. 

Students freeze. Explain Actor’s Neutral and have them stand like that. 

Explain to them moving forward when you say walk they stop and when you say stop they walk. 

Activate.

Repeat with hands/elbows, name/stand, smile/gasp.

Columbian Hypnosis

Adapted from Augusto Boal

This activity was created to show how oppression can impact a community of people not just one person. 

In pairs decide who is Student A and Student B. 

Student A puts up hand. 

Student B follows hand with face 6 inches away. 

Reflect on the process and switch. 

Reflect again.

Now ask one student to stand in the middle and put hand facing up. 

Then ask two students to put their faces to the hand with their two hands up. 

Then ask four students to put their faces to a hand (continue as space would allow). 

Ask student in the center to move and notice how this impact the others. 

Rainbow of Desire

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Boal used this to create a space where we could learn different perspective. 

Select a character in a story. 

Ask a student to create a sitting tableau of this character. 

Ask what are the different emotions the character is feeling.

With each emotion build the rainbow with students representing with a tableau each emotion. 

Image Theatre

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Boal would not leave an image theatre session without making sure each participant knew what their next step was to accomplish the goal. 

Create an image of a given topic on the ideal situation. 

Create an image of a given topic on how it is. 

Ask students what steps are taken to get from the current situation to the ideal. 

As you create those images representing steps that need to be taken, title each tableau. 

Forum Theater

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Boal intended this to be performed by professional actors and it was intended to be a larger performance to engage audiences or Spec Actors as he called them to think about how to evoke change. 

The Joker acts as the person who introduces the problem, who plays the other side of the issues and who pushes the Spec Actor’s to think about how choices can impact a community. 

This also pushes the Spec Actors to realize the challenges that come with making change. 

Spec Actors are encouraged, after the experience, to not only imagine change but to practice that change, reflect collectively on the suggestion, and thereby become empowered to generate social action.

Students will create a short scene showing us a problem where there is oppression. 

Students will perform for a younger audience or Spec Actors. 

Facilitator will act as the Joker. 

Facilitator will ask the Spec Actors what they saw and discuss the problem. 

Students will perform again but this time if the Spec Actors are able to make change at any point, they can yell “Stop” and they can tag out the actor and role play the scene. 

Newspaper Theater

Adapted from Augusto Boal

There are several ways to adapt Newspaper Theatre. It is a  system of techniques devised to give the audience a way to transform daily news articles or any non-dramatic pieces to a theatrical performance. The most popular is Crossed Reading which is described as two news items that are read in alternating form, complementing, or contrasting each other in a new dimension. There are also the following ways of using Newspaper Theatre: 

Rhythmic Reading is when the article is read to a rhythm (musical), so it acts as a critical "filter" of the news.

Parallel Action is when actors use mime the actions being read. 

Reinforcement is when actors read the article and it is accompanied by songs, slides, or publicity materials.

Students will read newspaper articles that have opposite points of view on an issue. 

Students will underline important facts. 

Discuss the articles with students. 

Devise a reading of the article or a portion of the articles to show opposing points of view. 

Invisible Theater

Adapted from Augusto Boal

Actors create a scene where there is conflict and other actors intervene to assist the first actor. Those who are watching in public  are unaware that a spectacle is being acted out.

Students can create a scene to perform in a public setting where they can show issues and engage those around them to join in and change the outcome or speak up.