Theatre of the Oppressed and its Times: A talk by Julian Boal

Abstract

I’m always impressed by someone who can stand up and speak coherently without notes. It’s an underrated art form, and one that Julian Boal performs with conviction and authenticity, all the while in a second language. He is promoting his new book, Theatre of the Oppressed and its Times (2023), at an event jointly hosted by Active Enquiry Theatre Company and the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House. I arrive at Boal’s talk intrigued by what it’s like to be the son of a revolutionary theatre practitioner, probably the most famous theatre maker ever.