Legisative Theatre

Consultancy

One area in which I have some expertise is in the devising and execution of Legislative Theatre projects.  In 2003, while a co-Director of Theatr Fforwm Cymru, I developed one of the largest projects of this kind outside of Brazil, where Augusto Boal invented the form in 1991 when he was elected as a Vereador on the Rio De Janeiro Council of Vereadors.  As his council he employed his 'Coringas', his Theatre of the Oppressed facilitators, and with his council he created groups of the oppressed using forum theatre to identify and propose laws which could be implemented to help them.  In the four years Augusto was in office he passed over 20 laws in this way.

The project I created was called Rehearsal for Reality and was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.  It didn't lead to any new laws since there was no one to champion the proposals in government.  But it did have some influence on politicians and certainly in the field of TO, where the report is often cited - http://www.theatreoftheoppressed.org/uploads/library/evaluations/Agora%20report%20English.pdf. I have been invited to several conferences to present the project and share the experience and lessons learnt from Rehearsal for Reality.

Currently I am consultant on two Legislative Theatre projects.  One in the Balkans will involve communities in Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia &Herzegovina.  The other, in Portugal, is the first Legislative Theatre project to be led by a Joker who is an elected member of parliament, since Boal's stint as Vereador.  Jose Soeiro (MP) and I recently ran a workshop on Legislative Theatre together at the TO conference in Pula and continue to develop this branch of TO.