Act Out

… I cannot do it, I am too old, I don’t know enough, I don’t have a creative bone in my body, the man is the head of the family, drug addicts are weak, we must fight for democracy, I must own my home, this organisation does not value its workers, indigenous people are violent, nothing ever changes, to get on in life you have to be realistic and work hard…

Some of these ‘truths’ may make us cringe, but how many of them do we hold? Or should I say, how many have a hold on us?

The effectiveness of using Boal theatre techniques to transform organisations, communities and individuals lies in three key components:

1. The ability to involve the collective in exposing the ‘truths’ that hold us back. When working on issues that affect a group of people someone’s individual story is the springboard for the collective examination of what is holding people back and what is blocking a desired action. (Santos, 2010) It allows a group to understand an individual story in relation to the rest.

   ‘We do not interpret, we explain nothing, we only offer multiple points of reference.’ (Boal, 1995) This is what makes the work therapeutic but not therapy!!

   1. Aesthetics - the use of a creative medium such as theatre but also other media such as painting, writing and sculptures, to shift the brain from a survival, left-brain, linear pattern to a more imaginative, metaphoric, right-brain pattern that allows a playful yet deep examination of that which may be painful or unpleasant.
   2. The reconnection of the whole body – working with the whole person, their senses, their minds, their emotions. When a challenge is examined using the whole of our bodies there is greater clarity and honesty. Similarly, when alternatives are rehearsed in this empowered state this rehearsal leaves a profound imprint which is the beginning of transformation.

    

Filed under: Uncategorized by Erika