Theatre of the Depressed

For those at the University of Alabama who are feel the need to break the yoke of oppression following yesterday's speech by anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly, there is hope, courtesy of the UA Women's Resource Center:

The WRC will also be holding auditions for a new theatrical peer education project on Monday-Tuesday, April 18-19, from 4-6 p.m. on the third floor of Russell Student Health Center. Based on a style of performance called Theatre of the Oppressed, the new production will seek to break down barriers between audience members and actors in order to educate people about the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.

"What is the 'Theatre of the Oppressed?'" you might ask. According to the Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory (be sure to put the emphasis on the second syllable):

The Theater of the Oppressed, established in the early 1970s by Brazilian director and Workers' Party (PT) activist Augusto Boal, is a form of popular theater, of, by, and for people engaged in the struggle for liberation. More specifically, it is a rehearsal theater designed for people who want to learn ways of fighting back against oppression in their daily lives. In the Theater of the Oppressed, oppression is defined, in part, as a power dynamic based on monologue rather than dialogue; a relation of domination and command that prohibits the oppressed from being who they are and from exercising their basic human rights.

Ummmm...yeah. Paid for with your tax dollars, folks.

(If, by chance, you're really interested in this topic, more info is available at the International Theatre of the DeOppressed Organisation website here. Ahhhh...didn't think you would be.)