Workshop Series: From Image to Action

Theatre of the Oppressed is a tool for rehearsing reality: what we do onstage we may strive to do in everyday life. We held this 3-part workshop in January/February of 2012, in which the group used theatre games and techniques to identify, explore, and take apart various forms of oppression. We then strategized ways to transform our ideals for liberation into concrete actions.

What we learned and made in this workshop was supplemented with take-home readings written by others who use Theatre of the Oppressed in different ways: peasant farmers in India and Brazil, young people in New York and Minneapolis, and survivors of torture and war in Colombia and Afghanistan. These readings show us how this work can be used in the wider world and inspire us to transform our own communities in similar ways. These workshops were also filmed for the documentary Image to Lifeworld, about how Theatre of the Oppressed is producing opportunities for both temporary and more enduring community in West Philadelphia.