OTL Blog

From the OTL archive, this article was written in 2003 by Donovan King about a workshop given by Augusto Boal, founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, that he took part in:

Apparently Billboard Trucks, giant commercial television screens on buildings, and advertising panels in public washrooms are not enough to satisfy corporate desires to capture our “mindshare” any more. Stealth Marketing is a disturbing new phenomenon, whereby corporations cast live actors to covertly market their products in a “real world” setting. Whether it’s a flirtatious girl buying the boys a round of the latest brand of vodka at the bar, a pair of tourists asking passers-by to take their photo with a Sony digital recorder, or any number of invasive “reality-advertising” scenarios, Stealth Marketing is an ontologically upsetting next step in what Naomi Klein calls “an evolution from experiential shopping to living the fully branded experience.“ Upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that this new form of so-called marketing is nothing short of a corporate attempt to co-opt an activist theatre technique: Augusto Boal’s Invisible Theatre.

In May, Boal, arguably the world’s most influential living theatrical theorist today, delivered a much-anticipated workshop on Invisible Theatre in New York City. Hosted by the Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB) and the Brecht Forum, this workshop is rarely given, the previous one having being cancelled after the 9/11 terror incident. Lasting three days and involving an extremely diverse group comprised of educators, theatre artists, health care workers, and anti-oppression activists, 39 participants came from all over the world to learn the secrets of Boal’s technique, and to apply the Invisible Theatre in a series of direct actions in the heart of NYC.

The Optative Theatrical Laboratories sent two delegates, myself included. We hoped (in addition to clarifying some theoretical concepts) to be inspired by Boal, and the charismatic and good-humoured Brazilian theatrician did not disappoint. Augusto took the time to address our concerns about the corporate Stealth Marketing phenomenon, explained the goals and mechanics of Invisible Theatre in intricate detail, and contextualized the technique into the overall Theatre of the Oppressed matrix. It was one of the best experiences I have ever encountered in education, activism, and theatre.

Invisible Theatre is an extremely powerful (and often overlooked) form of activist theatre, whereby players rehearse a scenario to be played out in the “real world.” It is “Invisible” because those who become entranced into the scene are not aware that theatre is taking place – people assume the theatrical situation that unfolds is “real.” However, unlike Stealth Marketing’s goal of capturing mindshare (and selling products), the goal of the Invisible Theatre is to sell the concept of anti-oppressive practice.  Boal calls it a “rehearsal for revolution.”

In the workshop five groups were formed, each dealing with different issues of Oppression (eg: sexism, classism, and racism).

INVISIBLE THEATRE #5: “Manufacturing Fear”

Location:  Madison Square Park, NYC
Players: 12 (2 TOURISTS, 2 MUSLIM WOMEN, 8 PARK-GOERS)

Action #1
Two REDNECK TOURISTS videotape their visit to Madison Square Park. In a loud and gaudy manner, they draw attention to themselves, filming statues, the Empire State Building, making speeches for friends back home, etc. TOURIST #1, with the video camera, is from some Midwestern state, and expresses concern and fear about potential terrorist danger in NYC: with the “Code Orange” alert, the government has advised people to be vigilant and report “suspicious activity” to the authorities. TOURIST #2, slightly more reasonable and currently living in NYC, attempts to assuage TOURIST #1’s   fears.

Action #2
Two MUSLIM WOMEN enter, wearing the hijab, and take photos of the Empire State Building. TOURIST #1, alarmed by this sight, begins filming the women with his video camera. TOURIST #1 speculates that the women might be connected to the “War on Terror” and that they might be photographing installations for terrorist groups.  He remarks that on the subway there are posters asking citizens to be alert and to report suspicious activity to the police. TOURIST #2 tries to assure #1 that Muslims are common in NYC, and suggests that he might be over-reacting.

Action #3
The MUSLIM WOMEN ask spect-actors (eg: people sitting on a bench) if they are being filmed, and exhibit fear over the situation. Several
PARK-GOERS begin generating interest in the situation by either confronting or supporting TOURIST #1, or by speaking with spect-actors about the situation and inviting them to take action.

Action #4
The MUSLIM WOMEN exit the scene. A crowd of PARK-GOERS and spect-actors gathers around the TOURISTS, engaging in a heated debate about the situation. TOURIST #1 insists that he is following government orders for everyone’s safety. A PARK-GOER counters the argument, pointing out that it is overt racism.

Action #5
The TOURISTS, feeling harassed, exit. Several PARK-GOERS stay on to debate the whole situation. Even after all the players have left, the theatre continues – in the minds (and eventually actions) of those who participated.

Given the “Code Orange” atmosphere of fear currently permeating NYC (eg: armed soldiers on the street), our group was careful in selecting the location. Ground Zero and the Staten Island Ferry were deemed too dangerous for the Muslim members of our group, so we decided on Madison Square Park. Our Invisible Theatre performance heated up very quickly until a large angry crowd had gathered around the TOURISTS, many of them demanding that the video cassette be erased or handed over for destruction. The question raised was whether or not it was acceptable for vigilante U.S. citizens to follow government suggestions to racially profile Muslim people. I am pleased to report that the answer from the public in this case was a resounding NO. The Arab-Americans in the group described the exercise as “therapeutic” (having witnessed so many people come to their defence) and are continuing their Invisible Theatre work in NYC to this day.

Boal applauded the scene, and suggested that if enough groups of people engaged in Invisible Theatre on a given day on a given topic, it might be possible to transform the mental environment of an entire city, provoking its citizens into rejecting oppressive submission by becoming politically active. The beauty of the Invisible Theatre is that, as with other techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed arsenal, “the theatrical rituals are abolished, only the theatre exists, without its old, worn-out patterns. The theatrical energy is completely liberated, and the impact produced by this free theatre is much more powerful and longer lasting.” (Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed, 141). Those who experienced the Invisible Theatre that day, both as players and spect-actors, will remember the oppression, the issues, and the political action that was taken.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under archival posts, invisible theatre. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.