BAKER: Theater exercise promotes social change

Last week I invited Shannon Cameron, a grad student in theater, to my School and Society class in the College of Education and Human Services. Tables and chairs were pushed back against the walls leaving an open area for the active participation of my students. They were put through a few warm-up exercises before Shannon began what would constitute the rest of the class, an introduction Theatre of the Oppressed, a type of theater designed as a catalyst for social change.

Theatre of the Oppressed was developed in Brazil in the early 1970s by the late Augusto Boal. He was influenced by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, author of the seminal piece, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," and who wanted to use theatre as a means of analyzing, discussing and increasing critical thought in order to address issues of oppression in daily life.

In the bureaucracy of institutionalized public education one of the most prevalent forms of oppression is monologue. All too often, students become passive receptors of the instructor's "knowledge" having very little, if any, opportunity to engage in questioning or challenging official curriculum and policies. Theatre of the Oppressed becomes a powerful way for students and teachers to examine myriad oppressive acts in school and how to develop strategies for solving these issues. Unfortunately, throughout the country, school districts are experiencing budget cuts and some of the first programs to be on the receiving end are art and music programs. In an era when student achievement is measured by standardized test scores and an emphasis on math and science matriculation, there is no question that school districts are being forced to make cuts in the arts.

For example, in a 2006 survey by the Center on Education Policy, more than 44 percent of school districts increased time spent on math studies while decreasing time on other subjects. In another 2006 study by SRI International, 61 percent of school districts in California did not have a full-time art specialist. However, according to Tom Horne, Arizona state superintendent of public instruction, "If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less. There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests."

Despite the increased attention being given to math and science and a drop in art and music offerings nationwide, the Obama administration recognizes the contribution that the arts make not just to the economy but also to the critical education of our students. In an October 2009 proclamation honoring national arts and humanities, President Obama stated, "It is the painter, the author, the musician and the historian whose work inspires us to action, drives us to contemplation, stirs joy in our hearts and calls upon us to consider our world view anew." The February 2009 edition of Edutopia echoes this perspective in an article titled, "Why Arts Education is Crucial, and Who's Doing it Best." According to the author, Fran Smith, "Years of research show that [arts education is] closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement and equitable opportunity."

It was precisely with this intention for students to contemplate and reconsider their world view – and to think about using Theatre of the Oppressed in their classrooms as a way to increase dialogue – that I invited Ms. Cameron to work with my class of future teachers. In an activity called "Colombian Hypnosis," Cameron had students actively moving around the class emulating the complex relationships in a top-down education bureaucracy. It became readily apparent to students that the role of teachers becomes less relevant to those at the top of the food chain. In turn, students and their unique needs are often marginalized as district officials are more concerned with attending to issues being passed from their superiors. Other forms of Theatre of the Oppressed have students actively engage in identifying oppression in their lives as well as the lives of others in our society in order to critically examine possible resolutions. Should not school districts re-evaluate the importance of the arts education, and in particular theater, as a way of improving student learning and becoming better citizens?

The president of Cornell University, David Skorton, puts it this way: "If science and technology help us to answer questions of ‘what' and ‘how,' the arts and humanities give us ways to confront the intangible, to contemplate the ‘why,' to imagine, to create. If ever there were a time to nurture those skills in our young people, it is now, when our nation's future may depend on our creativity and our ability to understand and appreciate the cultures around the world as much as on our proficiency in reading and math."

Michael Baker is a Temporary Lecturer in the College of Education and Human Sciences.