Theatre of the oppressed

In this chapter, the authors show how the theatre can be placed at the service of the oppressed, so that they can express themselves and so that, by using new language, they can also discover new concepts. In order to understand this poetics of the oppressed one must keep in mind its main objective: to change the people– 'spectators,' passive beings in the theatrical phenomenon into subjects, into actors, transformers of the dramatic action. The spectator's thoughts are discussed theatrically on stage with the help of the actors. It happens many times that well intentioned theatrical groups are unable to communicate with a mass audience because they use symbols that are meaningless for that audience. Forum theater, as well as other forms of a people's theater, instead of taking something away from the spectator, evoke in him a desire to practice in reality the act he has rehearsed in the theater.