A Boal Companion: Dialogues on Theatre and Cultural Politics

Abstract

Jan Cohen-Cruz and Mady Schutzman (eds), A Boal Companion: Dialogues on Theatre and Cultural Politics (New York and London: Routledge, 2006) This collection of essays is broad in scope, its aims clearly articulated by the editors in their introduction. The essays, they assert, will address the fact that Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) is 'both undertheorized and insufficiently contextualized within a broader domain of companion theories and practices' (1). The various techniques that constitute Theatre of the Oppressed are to be considered in the 'fields of cultural studies, political science, ethics, humor studies, systems theory, theories of space, performance art, race theory, trauma theory, and feminism' (2), to name but a few. Grouped into three sections - 'Sites', Tropes' and 'Ideologies' - each of the fifteen essays that comprise the volume is also provided with a useful rubric Political Theatre, Pedagogy, Activism, Therapy, etc - that serves to locate it in a larger context of TO-related activity. In its organisation, the volume shows clear signs of good editorial supervision: the book is well laid out, indexed, each contribution kept to an appropriate length. In its ambitious range, this compilation evidences a well-intentioned desire to explore performance-based work that is predicated on making a difference. Given the inclusive compass of the approach, however, some of the pieces seem rather tangential to the political purpose if not the various strategies and techniques of Boat's Theatre of the Oppressed. It also comes as no surprise that the quality of the contributions is variable. The best essays are real page-turners. Campbell Britton's piece, for example, 'Politics and Performance(s) of Identity: 25 years of Brazilian Theatre (1954-79)', is a lively and informative account of the political and theatrical context of Boal's work. Like the editors' comprehensive introduction, this engaging essay is set outside the sectional divisions of the volume, providing a useful historical balance to offset some of the rather abstract theorising that appears elsewhere in the collection. And by providing a cultural context, locating Boal in relation to other artists, it also serves to counteract the somewhat messianic fervour with which he is sometimes viewed by his disciples. The section on 'Sites' begins well with Randy Martin's searching analysis of political theatre and Deborah Mutnick's insightful discussion of critical pedagogy. Martin, in 'Staging the Political', broadly contextualises Boal's work in a piece that raises questions and provides answers not just about political performance but also about the relevance of theatre itself. Mutnick, in 'Critical Interventions', explores the obvious connection between Boal and Freirean pedagogy, with specific reference to 'the integration of theory and practice in intellectual and creative work' (39). This integration is illustrated in the essay itself, where Mutnick's abstract ideas are grounded in concrete example and illuminated by personal experience. This use of the anecdotal also enlivens L. M. Bogad's 'Tactical Carnival: Social Movements, Demonstrations, and Dialogical Performance'. This essay alone is worth the price of admission. A sort of 'how to' handbook in using participatory performance for political activism, Bogad's essay, like his subject, is irreverent and amusing. He has the ability to paint a vivid picture in words, discussing his own experience in artfully engineering discomfort. As he says, on the satiric use of humour and irony, 'laughter can take the piss out of grim authorities' (53). But he also targets those strident activists who take themselves too seriously, recounting the exploits of the Absurd Response group who lampoon the dreary chants of marching protesters with their own version: 'March March, Chant Chant, Rhetoric Rhetoric, Rant Rant' (47). If only there were more of this kind of thing in the book. …

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