Skip to main content

Search NYU Steinhardt

Members of a Brazilian theatre group led a workshop with participants from the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto - the Homeless Workers Movement.

Brazil: Advanced Techniques of Theatre of The Oppressed

Graduate Study Abroad

This program is closed and no longer accepting applications. Visit the Graduate Study Abroad page to learn about alternative study abroad opportunities for graduate students. If you have any questions, please write to steinhardt.global@nyu.edu.

Over Spring Break, students will travel to Rio de Janeiro to study the work of legendary political theatre activist Augusto Boal with members of the Escola de Teatro Popular (ETP).

This course is an introduction to the sociopolitical activist forms that make up the arsenal of the Theatre of the Oppressed (TO): a collection of games, techniques, and exercises for using theatre as a vehicle for personal and social change. It is a method of harnessing the laboratory of the theatre as a powerful tool for exploring power, transforming oppression, and finding community-building solutions to the problems of inequality, conflict, and injustice. Students will participate in workshops and community-based performances and the course will engage students with contextual knowledge about Rio and the history of the ETP, foundational theories in TO through the writings of both Freire and Boal, and give them a sound exposure to the interactive games and exercises that form the bedrock of this work.

Photo: Members of the Escola de Teatro Popular (ETP) lead a workshop with participants from the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto - the Homeless Workers Movement. 

Location:

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Program Dates:

Travel component: March 16-23, 2024

Required pre- and post-travel class meetings: Nov. 30 from 4:00 - 5:00 pm & Feb. 8, March 7, and April 4, all from 4:55-6:35 pm EST

Faculty:

Nancy Smithner, Clinical Professor of Educational Theatre, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

Nisha Sajnani, Associate Professor and Director, Drama Therapy Program, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

Application Deadlines:

  • Priority Deadline: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 (admissions continue following the priority round deadline on a space-available and rolling basis)
  • Regular Deadline: Thursday, October 17, 2024

Find the application link and instructions on the "How to Apply" page

Apply for Study Abroad

Take the next step! Learn about application requirements, upcoming info sessions, and more.

Apply Now