He died of respiratory failure after a long battle against leukemia.

Joker/ Facilitator Much of Augusto Boal’s theatrical process requires a neutral party to be at the centre of proceedings, in most cases, but not all, this would be a Drama workshop leader. The Joker System began in 1965, when Augusto Boal’s Arena Theatre performed Arena Narrates Zumbí. At the beginning of his career, Boal (1970) developed and refined the role of the joker: a master of ceremonies and group facilitator who encourages an exploration of oppression amongst participants. The Joker system is used both in conventional plays and participatory methods as a way to disrupt fixed roles. Finally, in the fifth chapter, Boal reviews his work in Brazil's Arena Theater and outlines his Joker system of theater. This video presents Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) methodology, which helps empower oppressed individuals to respond to discrimination and … He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movements.

Critic Yan-Michlaski claims Augusto Boal is the most known and respected Brazilian "theater man" abroad. During the replay, any member of the audience (‘spect-actor’) is allowed to shout ‘Stop!’, step forward and take the place of one of the oppressed characters, showing how they could change the situation to enable a different outcome.

Marking the moment. Critic Yan-Michlaski claims Augusto Boal is the most known and respected Brazilian "theater man" abroad. He was a Member of Parliament for Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1996. ... (usually known as the Joker) is needed to manage communication between the players and the audience. They could profit from a low standard wage, and the factories would be closer to both the markets and the raw Brazilian Dr. Augusto Boal was raised in Rio de Janeiro. He was formally trained in chemical engineering and attended Columbia University in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. The joker is the ‘midwife’, assisting in the birth of all ideas, of all actions!


He died of respiratory failure after a long battle against leukemia. Augusto Boal died May 2, 2009 at age 78 in Rio de Janeiro.

Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal gives the theoretical underpinning to the method. In the 1950’s Boal taught theatre to ... Boal developed the Joker System and Simultaneous Dramaturgy.

... El joker da la conformidad sobre la construcción del texto, deliberando si las alternativas propuestas pueden ser efectivamente realizadas teatralmente. The International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation has a directory of groups worldwide, a resource library, and more. References by Doug Paterson (Current: 11/05) by Frances Babbage Wikidepia

In Western practice the name of this individual is usually the Facilitator, although in Boal’s literature this role is referred to as the Joker.
Watch an interview with Boal on Democracy Now. A play or scene, usually indicating some kind of oppression, is shown twice. Previous columns have explored the work of the radical dramatist Augusto Boal, explaining his theory of oppression, his critique of classical theatre, and his encouragement of forms of theatre in which spectators become participants. He is the author of The Theatre of the Oppressed, Games for Actors and Non-Actors, The Rainbow of Desire, Legislative Theatre and Hamlet and the Baker’s Son: my life in theatre and politics. Boal’s Methods: The Joker System Boal’s approach is not a unitary system, but rather, consists of a range of techniques and devices which can be used in a variety of settings.