GAMES FOR ACTORS AND NON-ACTORS - Bernie De Koven

1 GAMES FOR ACTORS AND NON-ACTORSBoal s analysis of the art of the actor makes GAMES for ACTORS and Non-Actorscompulsory reading. Plays and PlayersThis is an inspiring and powerful book, a lucid account that will be of substantialuse to people already using Theatre of the Oppressed. It should also act as anexcellent introduction for those new to the system. ArtsceneThis is a useful handbook for those who want to explore Boal s Theatre of theOppressed and as such is greatly to be welcomed. Boal s work deserves anddemands emulation. Theatre Research InternationalGames for ACTORS and Non-Actorsis the classic and best-selling book by the founderof Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal. It sets out the principles and practiceof Boal s revolutionary method, showing how theatre can be used to transformand liberate everyone ACTORS and non- ACTORS alike!

2 This thoroughly updated and substantially revised edition includes: Two new essays by Boal on major recent projects in Brazil Boal s description of his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company A revised introduction and translator s preface A collection of photographs taken during Boal s workshops, commissionedfor this edition New reflections on Forum Theatre A postscript considering the effect of 11 September Boalis a theatre director, dramatist, theorist, writer and teacher. He wasa Member of Parliament for Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1996. He is the author ofThe Theatre of the Oppressed, GAMES for ACTORS and Non- ACTORS , The Rainbow of Desire,Legislative Theatreand Hamlet and the Baker s Son: my life in theatre and Jacksonis Artistic Director of Cardboard Citizens.

3 He has translated fourbooks by Augusto Boal, collaborated on a number of occasions and taught Theatreof the Oppressed widely in other countries, including Namibia, South Africa, HongKong, Mauritius and information about the activities of Augusto Boal and the centres of Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro (workshops, courses and conventions), pleasesend a self-addressed envelope and two International Reply Coupons to:CTO RioAvenida Rio Branco 179 60andarCentroRio de Janeiro, 00 55 21 2220 7940 Email: FOR ACTORS AND NON-ACTORSS econd editionAugusto BoalTranslated by Adrian JacksonLondon and New YorkFirst published 1992 by Routledge. Reprinted eight times. Second edition published 2002 by Routledge11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4 EESimultaneously published in the USA and Canadaby Routledge29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group 2002 Augusto Boal 2002 Introduction: Adrian Jackson 2002 Translation: RoutledgeAll rights reserved.

4 No part of this book may be reprinted or reproducedor utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission inwriting from the Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British LibraryLibrary of Congress Cataloging in Publication DataA catalog record for this book has been requestedISBN 0 415 26761 7 (hbk)ISBN 0 415 26708 0 (pbk)This edition published in the Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge scollection of thousands of eBooks please go to ISBN 0-203-99481-7 Master e-book ISBNThis book is dedicated toAdrian Jackson, for his creative translation;Helena Reckitt and Talia Rodgers, for their enthusiasm and help;Edla Van Steen and S bato Magaldi, forever friends;Blanca Laksman and Leonardo Thumin, for having invented Cecilia!

5 CONTENTSList of figuresxxiTranslator s introduction to the first editionxxiiTranslator s postscript to the second editionxxviiPreface to the second edition:The Royal Shakespeare Company, theatre in prisons and landless peasants1 Postscript with pride in our hearts6 Preface to the first edition:the fable of Xua-Xua, the prehuman woman who discovered theatre11 Postscript: ACTORS and non-actors171 THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED IN EUROPE18 Introduction18 The Godrano experience: my first Forum Theatre in Europe or the ultimate spect-actor/protagonist!19 Feminism in Godrano20 The police again21 The oppressed and the oppressors232 THE STRUCTURE OF THE ACTOR S WORK29 The primacy of emotion29 Muscular exercises31 Sensory exercises31 Memory exercises32viiImagination exercises32 Emotion exercises32 Rationalising emotion35 la recherche du temps perdu37 The dialectical structure of the actor s interpretation of a role40 The will40 The counter-will43 The dominant will45 Quantitative variation and qualitative variation463 THE ARSENAL OF THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED48 Introduction.

6 A new system of exercises and GAMES from Theatre of the Oppressed48 Two unities49 Five categories of game and exercise49 IFEELING WHAT WE TOUCH (RESTRUCTURING MUSCULAR RELATIONS)50 First series: general exercises501 The cross and the circle502 Colombian hypnosis513 Minimum surface contact564 Pushing against each other585 Joe Egg (aka trust circle)626 The circle of knots627 The actor as subject : the Greek exercise648 The actor as object 669 Lifting someone out of a chair6710 Equilibrium of the body with an object6711 A balloon as an extension of the body6812 Racing on chairs6813 Rhythm with chairs6814 Musical chairs6915 Movement with over-premeditation6916 Difficulties6917 Divide up the movement7018 Dissociate coordinated movements70 CONTENTS viiiSecond series: walks701 Slow motion712 At a right angle723 Crab724 Crossed legs (aka three-legged race)725 Monkey736 All fours737 Camel walk738 Elephant walk739 Kangaroo walk7310 Leaning-against-each-other walk7311 Strapped-feet walk7412 Wheelbarrow7413 As you like it7414 Imitating others74 Third series.

7 Massages741 In a circle752 The movement comes back753 Sea waves754 The rolling carpet765 Back massage776 The demon77 Fourth series: integration games771 Person to person, Quebec-style772 The bear of Poitiers783 The chair784 Leapfrog795 The Brueghel game796 Stick in the mud807 Grandmother s footsteps808 Millipede809 Apple dance8110 Sticky paper8111 The wooden sword of Paris8112 American football (aka British bulldog)8213 Three Irish duels8214 Little packets8315 Cat and mouse83 CONTENTSix16 Homage to Tex Avery cat and dog(s)8417 The handkerchief game (aka the hat game, aka dog and bone)8418 Good day8519 Cadavre exquis (aka consequences)8520 The parachute8621 Balance with an object86 Fifth series.

8 Gravity861 Horizontality sequence872 Verticality sequence883 Sequence of rectilinear and circular movements89 IILISTENING TO WHAT WE HEAR92 First series: rhythm921 A round of rhythm and movement922 Game of rhythm and movement933 Changing rhythms934 The machine of rhythms945 The Peruvian ball game966 The clapping series977 West Side Story988 The Portuguese rhythmic shoes999 The two brooms10010 The four brooms10111 Horseshoe rhythms10112 Circular rhythms10113 The big chief10114 The orchestra and the conductor10115 Rhythm dialogue in teams10216 Chain rhythm dialogue10217 Pretend Brazilian Indians 10218 Lines of five10419 The president s bodyguards10420 Walk, stop, justify10421 Carnival in Rio10422 Bolivian mimosas10523 How many A s in a single A ?

9 10624 Two by three by Bradford106 CONTENTSx25 Crossing the room10726 Circle of names of Belo Horizonte10727 Circle of rhythms of Toronto107 Second series: melody1081 Orchestra1082 Music and dance108 Third series: sounds and noises1081 Sound and movement1082 Ritual sound109 Fourth series: the rhythm of respiration1091 Lying on your back completely relaxed1102 Leaning against a wall1103 Standing up straight1104 Breathe in slowly1105 Explosion1106 Breathe in slowly while lifting the arms1117 The pressure cooker1118 Breathe in as quickly as possible1119 Breathe in as slowly as possible11110 Breathe in deeply through the mouth11111 Breathe in with clear definition and lots of energy11112 Two groups11213 Breathe out, standing in a circle11214 One actor pretends to pull the stopper out of another s body11215 A, E, I, O, U11316 All the ACTORS , standing facing the wall11317 Two groups of ACTORS .

10 Facing each other11318 With their bodies in maximum possible contact with the floor11319 Lying on their backs on tables114 Fifth series: internal rhythms1141 Rhythmic images114 IIIDYNAMISING SEVERAL SENSES114 The blind series1151 The point of focus, the embrace and the handshake1152 Noises116 CONTENTSxi3 The imaginary journey1174 The glass cobra1185 One blind line, one sighted line1186 The magnet positive and negative1197 Swedish multiple sculpture1208 The vampire of Strasbourg1209 The blind car12110 What is the object?12111 The smell of hands12212 The figure-of-eight chicane12213 Goalkeeper12214 Friend and enemy12215 Draw your own body12316 Modelling clay12417 Touch the colour12418 The blind person and the bomb12519 Find the hand12520 The siren s song12521 Find a convenient back12622 The melodic hand12623 The sound of the seven doorways12724 Recognising the Aaah!