Transnational networks of the Theatre of the Oppressed

The institutionalization of a circulating method

Abstract

This work reflects on how the transnational networks of the Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) contributed to its institutionalization and permanence as one of the most practiced theatrical methodologies worldwide. In order to understand the expansion of the method developed by Augusto Boal as a transnational network, the article first defines the terms ‘institutionalization’ and ‘network’, before providing a brief review of its history, its adaptation to the cultural policies in France and Brazil, and the importance of the TO Centres in this process. The ability of the method to adapt to the most diverse contexts, cultures and especially to the social development field demonstrate that, more than just circulating a theatrical method, the global network of the Theatre of the Oppressed reveals itself as a vehicle for the circulation of policies connected to the idea of cultural democracy.