Legislative Theatre: Using Performance to Make Politics

Rating:
Summary: Continuing the Dialogue
Review: In his latest text, Boal describes his newest theatrical innovation, Legislative Theatre. The idea is new (and exciting)- why not ask the people to share their concerns about government, in order to bring about reform? Boal's method of doing this is (naturally) through theatrical forms and expression. This is a natural progression for Boal, who was himself a member of the government of Rio de Janeiro in the early nineties, and has been involved in reinventing theatre as a form of social empowerment for much longer than this. As well as describing the techniques and the (rather disturbing) context in which they were developed and trialled, Boal also invites contribution from the reader - in a sense, breaking down the 'monologue' of the printed text, inviting and continuing the dialogue begun with earlier works and techniques. An essential read in the context of Boal's achievements.