The birth of the spectator : a comparative analysis of Brecht and Boal

Abstract

The dissertation focuses on the function, application, and thought processes behind the spectator in Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, two prominent practitioners in the political stage of the twentieth century. It considers Brecht’s and Boal’s careers, their respective theatre practices, and the role of the spectator in the work they created. After focusing on each practitioner individually in their respective contexts, the dissertation engages in a comparative analysis of the two, discussing aspects where they converge and diverge from each other and how they empowered the spectator. The dissertation concludes with an overview of Brecht’s and Boal’s influence in twenty-first-century theatre in terms of their training/preparatory strategies and of the work being produced for today’s stages.