The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today: An Introduction to the Work and Principles of Augusto...

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Ali Campbell (Queen Mary, University of London, UK) Dr. Caoimhe McAvinchey (Queen Mary University of London, London)

The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today

An Introduction to the Work and Principles of Augusto Boal

Ali Campbell (Queen Mary, University of London, UK), Dr. Caoimhe McAvinchey (Queen Mary University of London, London)

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Methuen Drama
08 January 2026

Acting techniques; Theatre direction & production; Social & cultural history

Series: Performance Books

How has the work and legacy of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed been interpreted and practised around the world? What does it look like in different working contexts? The second edition of this book provides an accessible introduction to the political and artistic principles Boal's techniques are founded on, tracking exemplary practice from around the globe.

Using detailed contemporary case histories, theatre artist, scholar and activist Ali Campbell demonstrates how the underlying principles of Boal's practice are today enacted in the work of - among others - an urban network (Theatre of the Oppressed NYC), a rural and developmental theatre organisation (Jana Sanskriti, West Bengal), Boal’s original company CTO Rio (Brazil), and a theatre-based group led by learning-disabled adults in the UK (The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company). The book concludes with a series of conversations between Campbell and international exponents of the work, envisioning futures for the Theatre of the Oppressed in the shifting political, educational and artistic contexts of the 21st century.

This second edition includes: -

A new foreword by Professor Caoimhe McAvinchey

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An additional conversation in Part 3 with artist and activist Tony Cealy -

A new Part 4, featuring creative encounters with groups of academics, artists, Indigenous activists and community multipliers from across the Amazonas region of Brazil -

A new Part 5, featuring the Indigenous academic and Kuringa (Joker) Annie Martins, who vividly addresses the challenges all practitioners face as they seek to decolonise their work

By: Ali Campbell (Queen Mary University of London UK)
Foreword by: Dr. Caoimhe McAvinchey (Queen Mary University of London London)
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions: Height: 214mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 300g
ISBN: 9781350445017
ISBN 10: 1350445010
Series: Performance Books
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 08 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ali Campbell was trained and mentored by Boal and remains one of the key exponents of the Theatre of the Oppressed working today. He has adapted Boal’s techniques of Forum and Image theatre across a broad range of groups and contexts in Europe and Africa. He is Emeritus Professor of Applied Performance Practice at Queen Mary, University of London, UK, the leading Department for research across all UK Drama Departments and Conservatoires.

Reviews for The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today: An Introduction to the Work and Principles of Augusto Boal

Distilled from a lifetime of practice, teaching and reflection with groups around the world, this brilliant book is a must read for Theatre for Change workers everywhere. -- Geraldine Ling MBE; Founding Artistic Director; The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company This book is a profound praxis for peace, precisely because it disturbs: it is a work of clarity, written with the honesty of a friend. Ali Campbell explores Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed with the urgent question: ""How then shall we Live?” -- Professor Alison Phipps OBE; UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts; University of Glasgow Ali Campbell’s text is a fitting contribution to the legacy of Boal’s offering of the Theatre of the Oppressed. Part memoir, part story-telling, it enunciates the powerful principles and social activism of the method through real world global contexts and engaging personal interviews with key TO practitioners. * Simon Floodgate, University of Reading, UK *