A Theater intervention and the construction of subjectivities in the school environment

Abstract

This paper presents reflections on the theatrical intervention carried out in 2019, in a public school in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, within the proposal of Setembro Amarelo (Brazilian campaign to prevent suicide). The intervention of Cia. Artística Alotropicus, in partnership with the extension project of the Federal University of Paraíba, Janelas da Interculturalidade, sought to promote reflection and dialogue based on scenic activities that thought of valuing life. To contextualize the school environment in which actions were carried out, it was necessary to rescue and problematize issues related to the structure of the Brazilian nation, marked by economic, political, cultural and social inequalities. The proposed analyzes aims at trying to understand structural prejudice in Brazil and to think theater as a device for reflection, resistance and combating inequalities, in order to seek the development of citizenship through the empowerment of the individual, and consolidate democracy. So, the text was built from the contributions of Augusto Boal (1980, 2002, 2005), Grotowski (1971), Bourdieu (1996, 2003) and Paulo Freire (1987, 2000, 2006) to think about theater and education. The presentation of the Project contextualizes the school environment and the target group of the actions developed at Escola Chico Xavier. The theatrical intervention fits into this environment and presents bullying in a sketch conducted from the concepts of the Theater of the Oppressed (TO), Forum Theater and Poor Theater, presenting the figure of the joker, and calling students to propose outcomes for the scene presented. At the end of the action, a round of conversation invites reflection on individual choices and on respect for others and their diversity. Concluding, it is possible to affirm that the performing arts influence social and individual practices, in the sense of providing conditions for the empowerment of subjects whose social roles are constantly questioned and confronted. Theater is pedagogy and technique in the process of building affective and/or interpersonal relationships, in the search for individuation and belonging to the educational and social environment.