“Theatre of the Oppressed: a path being shaped while we walk on it” – Lecture by Bárbara Santos and documentary screening for Augusto Boal

The Department of Theatre Studies of the School of Fine Arts of the University of the Peloponnese in cooperation with the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation invite you to the lecture addressed by Bárbara Santos, one of the most important instructors internationally for the method of the Theatre of the Oppressed, under the title “Theatre of the Oppressed: a path being shaped while we walk on it”. Moreover, a new documentary screening about Augusto Boal, founder of the method, will follow.

Free Entrance
Language: English with interpretation in Greek

Lecture synopsis: The comprehension of a phenomenon’s significance depends inevitably on the potentiality of knowing the framework around it. Things and events take place as part of a reality, which influences or defines their appearance, whilst at the same time those are able to influence this reality as well. The Theatre of the Oppressed is an aesthetical method, created by the Brazilian director and playwright Augusto Boal, which aims at the reality’s transformation. The lecture will present the socio-historic framework which created human and his work, aiming at the fostering of the dialogue regarding the notion of this theatrical method. Following the new documentary for Augusto Boal will be screened.

Event Coordinator: Christina Zoniou, Department of Theatre Studies of the University of the Peloponnese

Bárbara Santos
Sociologist, Actress and Kuringa, was General Coordinator at Centro de Teatro do Oprimido – CTO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1994 till 2008. She had the honour to work with Augusto Boal, dramaturge and creator of the Theatre of the Oppressed, almost two decades, in several projects and in the conception of Legislative Theatre and Aesthetic of the Oppressed, on which she is continuing the investigation. She develops the Madalena Laboratory – Teatro das Oprimidas, an innovative aesthetic experience on the specificities of the oppressions faced by women and is the artistic director of Madalena International Network. Also artistic director of KURINGA – space for Theatre of the Oppressed in Berlin – where develops a Theatre of the Oppressed Qualification Program.

Was responsible for the conception of the main CTO’s projects developed in communities, schools, universities, cultural centres and prison system while her period as coordinator. She was the artistic director of the Teatro do Oprimido de Ponto a Ponto, an international program of Theatre of the Oppressed qualification (Brazil, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique with repercussions in Angola and Senegal) which is involving around 700 practitioners and benefits thousands of people through community activities, between 2005 and 2010.

As Kuringa has worked with several community groups – youth in social risk and/or in conflict with the law; learn disable and blind people, woman in the context of domestic, social and/or psychological oppression, prisoners and guards  and TO practitioners: Human beings with different colours, cultures, religions, languages, necessities, desires and ideas: people interested in the transformation of their reality.

She has accumulated a large international experience: acting, taking part in conferences and festivals, leading workshops and programs for Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner qualification, directing Forum Theatre plays and setting up and supervising Theatre of the Oppressed groups. Canada, US, Egypt, England, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Palestine, France, Germany, Guinea Bissau, Denmark, Portugal, Sudan, Mozambique, India, Jordan, Argentina, Spain, Angola, Netherlands, Croatia, Senegal, Scotland, Austria, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Guatemala, Iraq-Kurdistan, Slovenia, Colombia, Czech Republic and Bolivian are the countries where Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners received some of her contribution.

She has worked extensively in the design, implementation, coordination, supervision and evaluation of training programs of Theatre of the Oppressed with theatre groups, cultural and social organizations in Brazil (1997 – 2008), Palestine (2002 – 2007), Guinea-Bissau (2004 – 2011), Mozambique (2006 – 2010), Germany (since 2001) and several other countries.

She developed the methodological program of the Anastasia – Theatre Laboratory: aesthetic investigation on oppressions faced by afro-descendants in Brazil.

She is dedicated for developing the Madalena Laboratory – Teatro das Oprimidas, an innovative experience based on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques focused on the specificities of the oppression faced by women. It’s taking place in Brazil, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, India, Peru, Switzerland, France, Guatemala, Colombia and Bolivian with women theatre groups and women organizations. Since 2012, these groups work as Madalena International Network with artistic direction of Bárbara Santos. The Network made two international seminars (Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires), three international meetings (Berlin and La Paz) and will make de First International Festival in Puerto Madryn (Argentina) in September 2015.

She is artistic director of KURINGA association (Germany) where develops a qualification program which combines the theoretical deepening with practical experiences – abstract discussion with the concrete enlightening -, contributing to the consistent development of the praxis of the method. KURINGA is a space for Theatre of the Oppressed in Berlin for creative multiplication of the method through research, production and qualification. KURINGA’s projects aim to strengthen – local, regional and international – networks of solidarity for the transformation of unjust realities. In Europe, Bárbara Santos coordinates curriculum development for a training process of Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners, through the TOgether project, which involves institutions from Germany, Croatia, Portugal, France, Scotland, Italy and Spain, and has external evaluation of Bologna University.