Teaching Note—Theatre of the Oppressed and Social Work Education: Radicalizing the Practice Classroom

Abstract

Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed has been the basis for radical performance techniques practiced around the world. Widely a staple for theatre performance syllabi, it also has an innovative application for the social work classroom. This article designates Boal’s four stages of his poetics of the oppressed and concomitant theatrical techniques as valuable resources for the BSW social work educator. Applying Boal’s exercises to the macro and micro practice classroom heightens students’ self-awareness and awareness of the other, which, in turn, brings into sharper focus concepts such as empowerment, empathy, and social change.