Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O.) is a form of popular community-based education that uses theater as a tool for social change. Originally developed out of Augusto Boal’s revolutionary work with peasant and worker populations in Latin America, it is now used all over the world for social and political activism, conflict resolution, community building, therapy, and government legislation. It is also practiced on a grassroots level by community organizers, activists, teachers, social workers, cultural animators, and more. In the Theatre of the Oppressed, the audience becomes active, such that as “spect-actors” they explore, show, analyse and transform the reality in which they are living.
Lise Kloeppel joined the UNC Asheville Drama Department in 2008, where she’s been actively involved with TheatreUNCA as an actress (Urinetown) and director (The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek). She has experience in a variety of educational and community settings as a public school teacher, teaching artist, administrator, and community-based artist.
“With a background in popular education (Freire) and theater of the oppressed (Boal) philosophy and practices, I use theater and the arts as an educational and community-building tool for people from all different ages, experiences, and backgrounds to find new ways of actively engaging in the world around them. I am interested in the role artists play in society and how we can use our tools of transformation to create a more just, peaceful, and connected world.” – Lise Kloeppel
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