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Theatre of the Oppressed and Environmental Justice Communities

A Transformational Therapy for the Body Politic

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA, josulliv{at}utmb.edu

Sharon Petronella

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA

Edward Brooks

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA

Maria Murillo

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA

Loree Primeau

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA

Jonathan Ward

University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA

Community Environmental Forum Theatre at UTMB-NIEHS Center in Environmental Toxicology uses Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to promote involvement of citizens, scientists, and health professionals in deconstructing toxic exposures, risk factors, and cumulative stressors that impact the well-being of communities. The TO process encourages collective empowerment of communities by disseminating information and elaborating support networks. TO also elicits transformation and growth on a personal level via a dramaturgical system that restores spontaneity through image-making and improvisation. An NIEHS Environmental Justice Project, Communities Organized against Asthma & Lead, illustrates this interplay of personal and collective change in Houston, Texas.

Key Words: Augusto Boal • Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) • drama therapy • environmental justice (EJ) • Project COAL • Theatre of the Oppressed

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