Before reading "Theatre of The Oppressed" I had not thought about how different situations affected the way theater is perceived. I did not think about the barrier between the actors / performers and the audience. Also, I did not think about the possibility of the "audience" being part of the performance. I like the idea of theatre being a "weapon" and it being a way for people to express themselves without the need of the standard roles (main character, background character, audience, etc).
Something else that struck me was the concept of invisible theatre. What caught my attention is the lack (or not) of a stage, or in other words, creating a stage based on where you are performing. I also like the idea of people watching the performance and not thinking to much about it and just enjoying it. Even though everything (or most things) are planned, the public is allowed to "interrupt," and hence be part of the performance.
The concept of invisible theatre reminds me of Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor's walking video:
I remember watching this video for the first time for my GSWS class and not thinking much of it. Now that I rewatched it for a second time, I realize the many details that I missed the first time. This time I paid more attention to the camera work and how it focuses a lot on transportation. Sometimes it shows people's legs, and other times it shows the wheels of cars. People that were walking (or driving) by may not have thought much about it, but though not everything that happened was planned (or in the script), this is a performance that criticizes those who alienate disabled people.
Estefania, that is such a great video of Butler and Taylor, and it's really interesting to think about Theatre of the Oppressed through the frame of accessible design and how that allows for disabled people to be more visible and thus less othered.
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