Research and define the methods and techniques, including the
acting/directing styles, of Augusto Boal. Compare and refer in general
terms to the system developed by Constantin Stanislavsky. Discuss and
reflect on the effect they may have had on the contemporary training for
actors and contemporary theatre styles.
Word count: 1200
20/20
Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed develops a heightened understanding both of the self and the
world. Both Boal and Stanislavski’s dramaturgy involves self-exploration, however while Stanislavski
uses this to enhance an actor’s performance, Boal’s Breaking Repression[1] employs this investigation
to empower all participants. Furthermore, Boal’s Invisible Theatre enables people to question society
through debate, this exploration developing both awareness of the world and desire for progress.
Theatre of the Oppressed shapes today’s appreciation of political theatre as a tool for critique. It
continues to be practised by contemporary theatre-makers for its ongoing ability to strengthen
individual identity and enlighten participants to societal injustice. Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed
remains an opportunity for internal and external exploration.
Both Stanislavski and Boal’s dramaturgy call for their students to explore themselves. Stanislavski
uses this investigative process to develop more credible fictional personas. He guides actors to analyse
characters as individuals with motivations and emotions as complex as their own, by synthesising
study of the character with an inquiry into the actor’s own experiences. In preparation for roles, his
Given Circumstances directs actors to read between the lines of the script to create a comprehensive
character profile. Stanislavski’s Magic If poses the question “What would I do if…?”, forcing actors
to interrogate how these core attributes and motivations manifest into action. By hypothesising
choices external to the scripted action, this exercise cultivates the character’s authenticity. Stanislavski
then shifts this investigation to the actors themselves to enhance their execution. His Emotional
Memory technique applies actors’ own experiences to the performance. This application is grounded
in Stanislavski’s view of emotion as a universal experience; he dismisses the idea of “acting” emotion,
instead pushing actors to remember and re-experience it on stage. Emotional Memory prompts actors
to recollect a situation that evokes emotions similar to those of their character within a scene. The
actors’ recall of their own experiences develops empathy for the character, allowing them to “live the
character [truthfully], rather than recite it”, ultimately creating a more compelling performance.
By contrast, Boal utilises self-exploration to arm participants against social oppression. Boal’s
methods share Stanislavski’s individualistic appreciation of character, but he refuses the use of
1.​
An exercise within his Theatre of the Oppressed arsenal
characters as vessels to perpetuate dominant ideology, reflecting his rejection of didactic theatre. Boal
believed theatre had been used by the ruling classes to enforce presiding dogma, noting that ‘the
dominant art [was] that of the dominant class, since it is the only class that possesses the means to
disseminate it’. (Boal 1974, p.44) To counter this, his theatrical practices encourage participants to
realise their own capacity for autonomous action, even when it conflicts with the status quo. Boal’s
Breaking Repression exercise asks a player to act out a situation in which they were oppressed. This
mobilisation of the participant’s personal experience is reminiscent of Stanislavsky’s Emotional
Memory. Boal calls for the scene to be repeated, allowing the oppressed individual to explore alternate
paths of action with scene-partners adapting accordingly. Applying Stanislavski terms, Boal’s exercise
dramatises hypothetical “what ifs” through theatrical action and experimentation. Breaking Repression
allows participants to realise their own capacity for decision-making, and investigate how external
action can better satisfy internal motivation. Therefore both theorists invite participants to explore
themselves to positive effect; Stanislavski to enhance the performance of actors and Boal to reignite
people’s faith in their own capacity to act.
Boal’s Invisible Theatre forces onlookers to question the status quo, and through its provocation of
discourse allows participants to investigate the world around them. Boal’s directorial debut of John
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was distinguished by its ‘creative synthesis’[2] of realism and
theatricalism. This coexistence of fiction and reality in Boal’s early work foreshadowed his
development of Invisible Theatre, an adaptation of his methods to function ‘invisibly’ under the
censorship of 1970s Argentina, as prohibition of plays that did not outwardly support the status quo
restricted Boals ability to practise his Theatre of the Oppressed. Invisible Theatre is characterised by
the concealment of actors in public settings; staging disputes that urge onlookers to question the
current state of society, if not outwardly challenge it. Invisible Theatre fosters progressive debate
without rendering the audience complicit in purposefully viewing revolutionary propaganda.
As a contemporary practitioner, I am able to reflect on the efficacy of Boal’s Invisible Theatre from
experience. I was a member of a 2021 Invisible Production, in which I refused to take down a photo
2. Creative synthesis: audience experience with theatrical and real elements existing simultaneously, as described by
John Gassner (Babbage 2004, p.8)
of a friend online, arguing that she had previously given me permission to post it. What was initially a
one-on-one argument soon extended to a full-class discussion. Although the scenario was fabricated, it
reflected broader debates on consent, the complexity of which was manifest in the class’s discussions.
The success of this technique in engaging onlookers in debate is elevated by its placement outside the
auditorium, as the ostensible reality of the dispute eliminates the complacency that might have
persisted in a traditional setting. Boal’s Invisible Theatre compels audiences to examine the external
world, bringing to light real issues and injustices through fabricated conflicts.
The international renown of Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed highlights the potential of theatre to be a
viable tool to progress society, and cements theatre’s place in today’s modern activist culture. This
enduring relevance is the reason we continue to use Boal, and retain faith in theatre’s power to ignite
and guide resistance against modern oppressors both visible and invisible.[3] Though criticised for
abandoning the revolutionary class struggles of South America for the ‘soft’ oppressions of the
developed world in the 1980s, Boal’s Rainbow of Desire resonated with European audiences,
demonstrating the universality of his approach. The international ubiquity of activist theatre has
advanced to the point where some practitioners deride productions which are not inherently political.
Natalia Kaliada, practitioner at Belarus Free Theatre, blames Australia’s political apathy for the
“low-brow” nature of contemporary Australian theatre, arguing that “when citizens have nothing to
fight for, the importance of theatre wanes”. (Kaliada 2018) However Boal lives on not only in theory,
but in practice, exemplified by the New York productions of the anonymous artist Dermo. Their
underground practices of Invisible Theatre sparked discussion around the fundamental necessity for
art, “why we need it, how (and if) it functions, who it is for…”. (Field 2009). This demonstrates the
timeless efficacy of Invisible Theatre in prompting discourse.
I plan to base my workshop around Boal because his approach develops practitioners into finer actors
and more rounded theatre-makers. As with Stanislavski’s dramaturgy, he encourages actors to
investigate themselves as individuals first. Both methodologies highlight the role of personal
experience within theatre, nurturing a stronger bond between character and actor. Furthermore, his
3. Intangible oppressors, typically psychological; e.g. loneliness, fear (Babbage 2004, p.23)
provocation of debate on real-world issues expands the traditional approach to theatre, enforcing the
necessity of social and political awareness to create meaningful art. Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed
remains relevant in both theory and practice, inspiring bilateral awareness in actors and reshaping our
perception of theatre itself.
Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed has had a profound impact on today’s theatre, resonating with
audiences around the world. It is for this universality that we continue to use Boal as a guide to
explore both ourselves and the society we live in, allowing us to grow as people, as well as
contemporary creators of theatre.
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Kaliada, N 2018, ‘Australian theatre audiences accused of being 'latte-sipping, avocado-eating
snowflakes'’, ABC News, 16 December
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