The methodology of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) is the remarkable invention, he called it a discovery, of the the pioneering Brazilian theatre-maker, theorist and activist, Augusto Boal, who died in 2009. TO is a school of theatre-making for catalysing societal, political and personal change through theatre, with particular application to communities experiencing oppression.

We use theatre the better to understand ourselves in the world around us – and how we might change that world. This work can be used in a wide variety of settings from classrooms to prisons, from community groups to councils, from homeless shelters to academic research – and with socially excluded groups of all ages, genders, ethnicities and beliefs. TO can be a rehearsal space for people who want to learn ways of fighting against oppression in their daily lives. It can help all involved to better understand themselves, their communities, and the world, and act to change it. It can also be an incredibly effective tool for building teamwork and trust quickly as well as improving self-confidence, presentation skills, motivation and self-awareness.

The team at STOP is particularly skilled at using this work to create participative dialogue and theatrical debate in which a wide range of relevant issues can be explored interactively in a safe space. The ethos of the Theatre of the Oppressed underpins our values at STOP, supported by a firm belief in the transformative power of theatre, the value of participation and the importance of debate.

The umbrella of TO incorporates a number of distinct techniques including Image Theatre, Forum Theatre, Legislative Theatre, Newspaper Theatre, Invisible Theatre and the Rainbow of Desires (which focuses on internalised oppression). Such is the power of TO that its influence is discernible in many closely related theatre forms and formations – everything from Magdalena network to Playback Theatre or Theatre for Living and the Polarised Theatre of the Oppressed. We are proud to be connected to the rich international resource which is the Theatre of the Oppressed through our wide network of global practitioners, many of whom will be invited to share their practice here.

About Theatre of the Oppressed

Who We Are

Adrian Jackson (he/him)
Founder & Lead Facilitator

Petia Tzanova (she/her)
Co-Founder & Producer

Lil Woods (she/her)
Co-Founder & Producer

Adrian Jackson MBE is a highly experienced theatre maker, TO facilitator (joker) and teacher. Having stepped down from Cardboard Citizens, the pioneering theatre company working with homeless people he founded in 1991, he is now working on a variety of theatre projects around the world. He has directed over 30 plays, as well as translating five books by Augusto Boal, with whom he collaborated on many occasions. Adrian has taught Theatre of the Oppressed techniques in over thirty countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America training over a thousand theatre practitioners, activists and community workers.

Petia is a facilitator, coach and producer with over 15 years of experience working in arts and culture, the non-profit and social enterprise sectors. She specialises in powerful and inclusive learning experiences that transform people and organisations. Petia has worked with hundreds of change-makers from all over the UK, Europe, Latin America and Asia at all stages of their careers through organisations like Clore Leadership and the School for Social Entrepreneurs. She trained as a TO facilitator with Adrian Jackson whilst working at Cardboard Citizens and wrote her MA dissertation on the Theatre of the Oppressed. Petia is a Trustee for devised theatre company curious directive.

Lil Woods is an artist and facilitator whose work spans theatre, performance, education and activism. Having worked in a wide range of environments and communities, she is currently specialising in working with community groups in a range of inner-city and rural areas. Lil is a workshop leader at Tender, an associate artist at London Bubble Theatre Company, and an education consultant at the community energy organisation Repowering London. Lil trained as a TO facilitator in 2018, and uses the foundational principles of TO in all of her work.

Why train with us?

At a time when issues of race, gender and class are more prominent than ever, and social media and internet communication push us towards the sharp polarisation of views, spaces for genuine public debate are more vital than ever. The Theatre of the Oppressed provides a methodology for opposing discourses to be explored deeply and safely.

Holding these spaces requires skill and experience, balancing the risk-taking intrinsic to inviting a variety of voices to be heard with an awareness of the enduring nature of trauma and the potential for triggering. STOP will host leading practitioners to share their responses to these and other challenges, alongside an annual curriculum of training of the central tenets of Theatre of the Oppressed.

"The works of Adrian Jackson and Cardboard Citizens have great impact in my thinking of how one can adapt Theatre of the Oppressed. I attended a workshop with Adrian and invited him to Singapore to teach, and having witnessed the work of Cardboard Citizens, it helps me to think deeply what engagement means: that it is a sustainable effort, a marathon, and importantly, one that give dignity to the community we are working with.”

- Heng Leun Kok, Director Drama Box, Singapore

For many years Adrian collaborated with Formaat, the main T.O hub in the lowlands. In many different leading projects that formed the company Adrian was partner. As expert he directed brilliant forum plays, conducted several master classes at our venue in Rotterdam. Over the years Adrian served as an important beacon of knowledge in the field of participatory arts to us. Formaat wouldn’t be what it is without his skilled guidance over the years. We will collaborate in the past and sure we will do so in the future.

-Luc Opdebeeck, Founder and artistic director Formaat, Rotterdam

What People Say About Us

Previous Training Commissions Include

• GTO-LX Lisbon

• Hellenic Drama Network, Athens

• Helsinki School of Drama, Oslo

• Henri Favory Company, Mauritius

• HKDPO, Hong Kong

• Hwyll a Fflag, Bangor

• Institut del Teatre, Barcelona

• International Drama Education Association, Belem

• International Festivals of Theatre of the Oppressed (Graz, Austria, Rio de Janeiro)

• Irish National Association of Youth Theatres, Dublin

• Jana Sanskriti, Kolkata

• Manizales Festival, Colombia

• Mind the Gap, Bradford

• NCDC Windhoek, Namibia

• Applied Improvisation Network, Rotterdam

• Artemizzsio, Budapest

• BGCA, Hong Kong

• British Council (Greece, Namibia, Mauritius, Spain, Jordan, South Africa, Hungary)

• Central School of Speech and Drama, London

• Centre for Applied Theatre, Taiwan

• Dept of Applied Theatre, Coventry University

• Dramabox, Singapore

• Formaat Theatre, Rotterdam

• Form de Teatre Pa'athotom, Barcelona

• Goldsmiths University, London

• Pandies Theatre Company, Dehli

• PELE, Porto

• Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow

• SAFE Theatre, (Nairobi, Mombasa)

• Singapore Drama Education Association

• St Petersburg International Festival, Russia

• TEAM Dublin

• The Lebanese University, Beirut

• Theatr Forwm Cymru, Dyfed

• Thirdway Theatre, Melbourne

• University of Aulkand, New Zealand

• University of Thessaloniki, Greece

• Warchild Kosovo