The Drama League Announces Two-Day Workshop, 11/21

The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) will welcome Augusto Boal's legendary theatre company from Brazil, Center For Theater of the Oppressed, for a rare two-day workshop to share Boal's acclaimed methodology for arts and activism. The workshop, led by longtime CTO company members Geo Britto and Monique Rodrigues,will be held on Monday, November 21, 2016 and Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at The Drama League Center (32 Avenue of the Americas). For additional information or to reserve spots in the workshop, visit http://dramaleague.org/events or email studiolab@dramaleague.org.

Theater of the Oppressed is a playful and practical methodology that employs theater as a tool for social change. Founded by Brazilian artist and activist, Augusto Boal in the 1970s, Theater of the Oppressed is a powerful way to seek imaginative and practical solutions to real-world problems.

"During this pivotal period in the United States, as we experience the most contentious Presidential election in modern history, artists and activists want to engage, organize and empower their communities more than ever," said Drama League Education Director Miriam Rosalky. "The techniques developed by Augusto Boal for artist engagement remain unparalleled, and have lived on in the work of his legendary company." More information about their work around the world can be found at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed website, http://ctorio.org.br/novosite.

In this two-day workshop, CTO members Geo Britto and Monique Rodrigues will guide participants through the basic principles of Boal's work, followed by a practical exploration of the method to create theatrical work. Participants will delve into major areas of CTO's training, including Oppressed Aesthetics, Image Theater and Forum Theater.

The workshop is designed for not only for theater makers, but also teachers, community organizers and social activists, to strengthen their knowledge and practice directly from global experts in the field of social justice.

Center for Theater of the Oppressed operated under the artistic direction of Augusto Boal for 23 years, and is the international reference for global practitioners of Theater of the Oppressed. CTO welcomes visitors from around the world to Brazil, who come to study, research and practice Theater of the Oppressed in order to apply the methodology in their home countries.

Geo Britto is a member of the Board of the Center of the Theater of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro, where he has worked since 1990. In his work with the CTO, Britto has coordinated a number of projects involving mental health issues, at-risk youth, and prisons and incarceration. He has presented many workshops in the favelas of Rio and has also presented sessions throughout the world, including Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Mozambique, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay and the United States. He worked extensively with Augusto Boal until Boal's death in 2009.

Monique Rodrigues is a doctoral student in Anthropology, Sociology and Master in Law and has worked at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed since 2006, where she worked directly with Augusto Boal. Many of her projects with the organization have been awarded prizes for diversity, promoted by the Ministry of Culture / Department of Cultural Diversity and the Young Agent Award for Culture (2012), promoted by Ministry of Culture / Department of Citizenship and Diversity Culture. She is the coordinator of the Olympic Development project: Populars Theater of the Oppressed (2016). She is the artistic coordinator of Madalenas Rio groups and Tide 12, which was awarded the Prize of the Municipal Culture of Territory of Rio de Janeiro Culture (2015).

For additional information, please visit www.dramaleague.org.