Description

THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED  —  FACILITATOR TRAINING
April 17–20, 2025   with Marc Weinblatt of the Mandala Center for Change      Presented by Dell’Arte

This 4-day training will provide an introduction to the world-renowned Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O.), originally developed by Brazilian visionary, August Boal. Though designed specifically to train facilitators of Dell‘Arte’s Prison Arts program, this training will support all participants to use Theatre of the Oppressed (T.O.) with adults and youth in their own grassroots contexts. Focus includes T.O.’s innovative community building Games, Image Theatre, and the problem-solving structure, Forum Theatre. These highly accessible and adaptable techniques can be immediately applied by activists, community organizers, cultural animators, teachers, social workers, psychotherapists, and theatre artists, among others.

In order to best understand the real life power of the work, subject matter will come directly from participants’ personal and collective real lived experiences. Each day will include time to discuss the previous day’s work and the art of facilitation, as well as applications in the field. 

As the work builds on itself and in order to create a healthy community container, we ask that all participants commit to the full 4-day training in its entirety. Participants will receive a certificate at the end noting their participation and completion of the training. 

 Schedule

• Thursday, April 17: 3:00–8:30pm with a 30 minute dinner
• Friday, April 18:  3:00–8:30pm with a 30 minute dinner
• Saturday, April 19: 10:30am – 6pm with a 30 minute lunch
• Sunday, April 20: 10:30am – 6pm with a 30 minute lunch

(Total Number of Training Hours:  24)

MARC WEINBLATT

Founder & Co-Director of the Mandala Center for Change based in Port Townsend, WA, Marc has been a professional educator, activist, theatre director, and workshop facilitator since 1980. He is an internationally recognized leader in the use of Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed and has trained thousands in the use of the techniques around the world. He has worked with diverse communities ranging from homeless youth to police, grassroots organizers and laborers to academics. Internationally, Marc has worked with activists in Norway, Holland, and Canada, youth workers in Guatemala, refugees in Azerbaijan, ex-combatants in Northern Ireland, construction workers in South Africa, slum families in India, community workers in the Republic of Congo, and victims of war, among others, in Afghanistan. Marc regularly co-facilitates T.O. based anti-oppression / race equity programs in a wide variety of contexts across the U.S. with a commitment to bringing a deep sense of spirit and humanity into social justice work. www.mandalaforchange.com