Sanjay Ganguly, the pioneer of the theater of the oppressed in the country, was recently in Chennai for a workshop with Scarf India.
A scene of domestic violence plays on the stage. As the actors play their roles (most often, autobiographical), an audience member interrupts, raises questions and reverses the narrative. This disruptive exchange is important, believes the Theater of the Oppressed, a school of thought pioneered by Brazilian author and politician Augusto Bol that invites the audience to be involved in the decision-making of what happens on stage. . For example, in this case, the audience’s attention probably lies in the realization of how patriarchy is still ingrained in our psyche.
Also known as stage theatre, this form has found its footing in India through the theater of the oppressed through the Jan Sanskriti Kendra in West Bengal. Initially operating from the Sundarbans, and established in 1985, the organization now has an extensive network across the country, under Sanjay Ganguly, Boal’s dependent and friend. Last week in Chennai, he focused on mental health and organized a workshop for Scarf India in Chennai.
Through a week-long session, actor and activist Sanjay Ganguly initiated a dialogue to open a channel of stigma-free communication between people with mental illnesses and their caregivers, doctors and facilitators. The conversation about mental health sets the stage for the conversation.
The priority here is “treatment,” he says, later in the conversation. metroplus. “Theatre has always had a curative effect. It develops an understanding of the reality outside and the reality inside. It provides a space where actors and audiences take an intellectual journey together,” says Ganguly.
Ganguly’s work develops from the belief that everyone has the potential for creativity. The workshop, which will soon have its second phase, introduces techniques through which participants can introspect “as their own audience”. He adds, “Most traditional theaters do theaters for the oppressed. This is the theater of the oppressed. Here they are the actors and the spectators themselves. It is a place where they can connect, and collectively solve the problem they are facing.”
It is often held that marginalized communities do not see a need for art, or the intellectual space it provides. “Who decides whether they need that intellectual space or not?” he asks. This form seeks to make the arts accessible to all, as traditional theatre-making often ends up as “elite”, catering to a specific audience. That’s why it’s a perfect tool for discussing mental health.
When Ganguly started his work, his colleagues and actors were not literate. So instead of “playing the script”, he devised a process called “play script”.
“In the process, games are reformulated into social metaphors. While playing games, you connect with your external reality. From there, the stories come,” says Ganguly.
The stories are often invited from the actors themselves, which are then told through play and practice. The goal is not to solve problems. “These problems that have a history cannot be solved on stage”. As an audience or performer, the goal is to understand these problems, not just know that they exist. “This understanding or critical thinking breaks the passivity in your mind. You stop being a victim. You become proactive,” he adds.
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