Tuesday, August 4, 2009




Today we got the opportunity to visit CTO and begin our work with the Jokers,Julian Boal, Barbara Santos, and Geo Britta, Helen Sarapeck was out ill but we hope she is back for the next workshop. Julian began by giving us some insight into the purpose of Theatre of the Oppressed. He said that it was important for us to understand the purpose behind his father's work: TO is a rehearsal, and it is informed by change. They made clear to us that we are not solving people's problems with forum theatre but rather we are presenting different possible solutions to these issues. TO is problem-posing education, not problem-solving. He said once the rehearsal ends the real work starts. That is when you take what is rehearsed to the streets and apply it in your life. Barbara Santos told us that the progression in our workshop would be from the simple to the more complex. This allows everyone to slowly build confidence in their ability to participate. We began with some simple games making gestures with our bodies and adding sounds. Then we escalated to power games. One such game involved us seeking out our partners by listening to their sound with our eyes closed. One thing that was really great to see was a forum piece that I had originally been exposed to at NYU. Unfortunately it wasn't very successful back in the U.S. but it was fascinating to see how the Jokers did it here. I was able to see the mistakes in the original attempt at this forum piece. I feel that this experience provided me with some fantastic insight into Jokering. I would say this, "If you haven't worked with the knowledgeable Jokers then there is definitely something missing in your TO repertoire. They offer a wealth of insight into the techniques. Geo explained that we will be going to some field sites to see the multpliers using the techniques, including a psychiatiric center for prisoners. Tomorrow we are hopeful of visiting a favella. The group is bonding well. We had a great impromptu meal in Lapa. Everyone is very excited about this experience.

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