Dr Ali Campbell introduces the new book:
I’m delighted to announce publication of my book: The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today: An Introduction to the work and principles of Augusto Boal on 21st March.
“The book aims to open up to a new generation of students, researchers and practitioners the techniques of my dear friend and teacher Augusto Boal. Boal, the legendary pioneer of the Theatre of the Oppressed movement, created over a prolific lifetime the revolutionary participatory techniques of Forum and Image Theatre. Through these activities, communities worldwide have been empowered to explore the issues they face through the language of radical participatory performance.
This book tracks my own thirty years on that life-changing journey, through practical examples, conversations and hands-on ‘recipes’, distilling what I have learned through practice, for the reader to use and in turn, to adapt. Boal more than most contemporary practitioners has been exhaustively theorized but the practical elements have been missing.
From the first discussions with my publishers – Bloomsbury – I have sought to use practical examples to bring the underlying principles of the work to life as vividly and honestly as possible.
I use my own stories and the adaptations of techniques I have co-created with groups across three decades and five continents to do this. In the second half of the book I invite the inspiring people I have been privileged to work with to share back with me, always grounding our discussions (and disagreements!) in lived experience.
I hope this book finds a place with you and fulfills its intention to do a service to the Theatre of the Oppressed and especially – if you are a teacher as I am – opens up to new theatre-makers the work of one of the greatest teachers I have ever known.”
Ali Campbell on working with the local community (2014) from QMUL School of English and Drama on Vimeo.
