Theatre of the Oppressed in Education
Alessandro Tolomelli
Professor of General and Social Pedagogy at the Department of Education
Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy
WORKSHOP
Athens International Conference "Theatre/Drama & Inclusive Education"
22 March 2025
Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr)
Language: English
Limited number of participants
Workshop short description
The workshop offers games, exercises and techniques from Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), aimed at de-mechanizing the body and perception, promoting communication skills and abilities. In addition, the technique of Image Theatre will be explored to explore the ability to relate to others through non-verbal language and deconstructing stereotypes.
TO is a tool useful for active citizenship education and inclusive education in which theatre device is thought as a language and not only as a performing art, and the process is important at least as the final result.
Target audience: teachers, educators, researchers and scholars.
Participation requirements: Availability to the body movement and experiences.
Note that the workshop includes exercises with possible physical contact.
References
Boal A. (2001), GAMES FOR ACTORS AND NON-ACTORS, Routledge, London-New York.
Gigli A., Tolomelli A., Zanchettin A. (2008), Il teatro dell’oppresso in educazione, Carocci, Roma.
Alessandro Tolomelli PhD is Full Professor of General and Social Pedagogy at the Department of Education – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna. His main fields of research are Empowerment approach apply to Education, Theatre and Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Community based approach to face with Early Education path Leaving, Pedagogy of Adolescences, Epistemology of Complexity applied to Education theory. He is founder of the Group Krila (Bologna), artistic, activist and research ensemble, actives since more than twenty years on the development of Theatre of the Oppressed. He translated into Italian the book “Games for Actors and not Actors” by Augosto Boal and “Theatre of the Oppressed - Roots & Wings: A Theory of Praxis” by Barbara Santos.
Web site: https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/alessandro.tolomelli/en