Theatre for the Free People applies Theatre of the Oppressed to Digital Age

NEW YORK - May 3, 2013 - PRLog -- This summer Theatre for the Free People returns to the Centro de Teatro do Oprimido (Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed) in Rio de Janeiro to engage in an International Arts Exchange.  This project will consist of a variety of artistic, cultural and creative engagements, which will further amplify their mission to empower communities and individuals through the arts.

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THEATRE FOR THE FREE PEOPLE

Theatre for the Free People is an organization, which is dedicated to using the arts as a vehicle for social change by: providing community based arts programming and education to people all over the world; offering services and support to artists, activists, organizations and social entrepreneurs; and producing artistic work which addresses the most defining social justice issues of our time. http://www.theatreforthefreepeople.com

THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED

Theatre for the Free People is firmly rooted in the methodology of Augusto Boal, a prominent Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician who made a dramatic impact on popular theatre and radical popular education movements through the development of his Theatre of the Oppressed technique.  Theatre of the Oppressed is a participatory theatrical technique, which was developed by Augusto Boal in the 1960s and evolved into a worldwide movement exploring the human potential for change.

The main objective of Theatre of the Oppressed is to promote awareness of one’s social situation, its limitations and its problems while providing an opportunity for breaking the oppression by rehearsing varied possibilities.  It requires that the participant imagine the ideal situation and then examine the possibilities for creating it.  Theatre of the Oppressed is consciously, a politically motivated form of theatre, which is committed to social and political change primarily on the side of the disenfranchised and disadvantaged.  In Theatre of the Oppressed, the audience is not made up of spectators but “spect-actors”, collectively we explore, show, analyze and transform the reality in which we are living.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

ARTS EDUCATION

Theatre for the Free People will develop a Theatre of the Oppressed based curriculum for use in schools, universities, organizations, and communities worldwide in addition to a workbook designed specifically for artists, activists, social entrepreneurs and community workers.

SERVICES FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Through their boutique consulting agency, Free People International, Theatre for the Free People will build a unique, dynamic, website and brand identity for the Centro de Teatro do Oprimido (Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed) which will serve as the destination for all of those who are seeking more information about Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed and the Centro de Teatro do Oprimido.

PRODUCTION

Theatre for the Free People will produce a short documentary film which highlights the work that the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed is doing to combat oppression both in Rio and abroad. They will also produce a dynamic photo essay which documents the exchange through photography and digital art.

This project is currently requesting funding through June 1, 2013 via rockethub: http://www.rockethub.com/25001