Liberating Theater in the Realm of Tourism

by

Yaniv Belhassen

and

Caroline Demeyère

In his earliest writings, Augusto Boal (1979) elucidates his theatrical philosophy and the way it is manifested in each one of the techniques associated with what he calls, and has been thereafter known as, “The Theater of the Oppressed.” In his opinion, anybody who is restricted in their ability to act is oppressed and the theater is the means to emancipate them. Boal has attempted to utilize and develop theatrical language that generates a political and social consciousness among the audience in order to incite social transformations. After immigrating to France, Boal adapted and improved these techniques to address social issues he encountered in his new life in Europe (1995). In his writings, Boal notes that oppression can be produced by noticeable mechanisms (e.g., policies, rules, surveillance) or by mental constraints, both of which are more common in western societies.Inspired by Boal’s work, The Theater for Living (TFL) has been developed since 1989 by David Diamond as a community-based version of the Theater of the Oppressed. Both approached contains techniques, such as Image Theater, The Rainbow of Desire and Forum Theater. These theatrical exercises and techniques are designed to generate personal, social, political and cultural awareness to various issues and to activate the will to change oppressive conditions among participants. Based on these traditions, during the workshop we will explore different techniques and examine, theoretically and practically, their applicability for students and employees in tourism-related contexts.

References

Boal, A. (1979). Theater of the Oppressed. London: Pluto Press

Boal, A. (1995). The Rainbow of Desire. The Boal Method of Theater and Therapy. London: Routledge

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.